Who'd be brought up Catholic?

My housemate is pissed off with me big time.

This is because I said her six year old niece displayed, during her stay this weekend, behaviour of a flirtatious nature -- mostly revolving around tossing of long locks, hotpants, high sparkly clogs and the selective/elective nature of her communication.

I believe my observation is true, but not that she has any real kind of complicity in this. But I know that 6 year olds are aware of their powers, and that, even though they don't know this, some of those powers are sexual.

Of couse they are (my argument, which she rejects outright, runs). Kids play with sex, adults do sex. The key (duh) is knowing who is old enough, and otherwise sufficiently well equipped, to be doing what they are doing knowingly.

If they are not doing it knowingly, it doesn't mean they aren't doing it. And it is not fucked up to see it for what it is. It is only fucked up if you use that knowledge in an evil or exploitative way. Sex is not bad in itself (runs my argument).

Right? Sex, sexuality, sexual behaviour is not bad, or (Catholic postscript) if it is it's only bad in an original sin kinda way. We've got to move on.

Girls will be girls, and what I want is a world where girls *can* be girls without feeling bad about it. And that means all of us giving them the space to flex their danger muscles without pretending they're not there, no? Denial doesn't do any of us any favours.

joella