Hi…I was wondering if any of you have little ones in Swiss daycare and if you are aware of the “doctor game” played at daycares? I don’t know if it is all daycares or just some but I found this information a bit unnerving. The original in German is: Räume für «Doktorspiele» sind in Schweizer Kitas normal
Here is part of the article translated into English:
"In Switzerland, the possibility of “doctor games” in a protected environment is part of the sexual education of many daycare centers and finds a place in their concepts, for example in that of the daycare center in the Entlisberg children’s home – run by the city of Zurich. Point 6.1.3 says: “We offer the children protected places in which they can retreat and in which sensual body explorations (doctor games) can also take place safely.” The aim is to give space to children’s curiosity.
Upon request, the city of Zurich said: “From a sex education perspective, doctor games and body explorations are part of normal development. That’s why these shouldn’t be actively prevented or children should be shamed if they express interest in them," says Sarah Jost, spokeswoman for social institutions and companies. There are retreats for this: “They are not separate rooms, but rather more secluded niches within the rooms in which the daycare children are. For example, a play tent or a quieter corner.”
She makes it clear: “However, children are not encouraged to do this. There is always a specialist nearby.” In addition, the parents are always actively communicated when the children show curiosity about their bodies.
The concept, which is based on the overarching concepts of the industry organizations, serves as a working basis for the employees of their daycare centers and crisis intervention and is intended to offer them orientation and security in sexual education issues."
IMHO…this is totally unnecessary and is something that is a personal family matter. So is a toddler supposed to ask “I want to go play with myself can I go to the quiet corner?” Then they have those “watching” ooops…I mean guarding the situationt o make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. What’s going on here! IMHO…People today have gone insane with s*xualizing children.
I sense you have a lack of trust and misunderstanding of day care programs. A child’s safety is of utmost priority. I have never heard a child say “I want to play with myself” but I have seen fully-clothed toddlers rub themselves on furniture because it made them feel good.
When this happened, we just ignored it. And so did everyone else. It was a non-issue for everyone involved as we felt it was part of the child’s development. I would still make that call today.
As for toddlers touching inappropriately, I would have to trust the day care team to handle each situation as they deem appropriate. We are dealing with inquisitive children exploring the world around them. I let my own toddlers bathe together and saw some inappropriate touching which I ignored as both siblings were very young and there was nothing sexual about it. In fact, it caused a lot of giggles.
Talk to the day care team in order to establish more trust.
Toy doctor kits have been around since forever with kids mimicking listening to chests with stethoscopes and whatever other exams they might have had themselves.
I think it’s the outraged adults which are ‘sexualising’ it rather than the toddlers. Kids have always been fascinated with their own as well as other people’s bodies and the various bodily functions.
As usual, it seems to be a non-issue being manufactured into a huge pearl-clutching exercise.
I was more concerned with those kids that seemed to go through a biting phase, which staff always seem to brush off.
I think it is actually you that is sexualising this type of play. Young children are naturally curious about their bodies. Kitas are just normalising this. All it says, is that kids will be allowed to explore their bodies safely in a semi-private space and that adults will not intervene unless they feel it is necessary, and that they will let parents know if their child is engaging in this type of play.
I created this thread because I find it very disturbing how they’re exposing children even toddlers to imagery, exhibits and demonstrations of a sexual nature. In addition to teaching them things that children do not make a priority until they’re being exposed to them. A little boy innocently touches his private part maybe because he needs to go to the toilet and the daycare worker makes it out to be a masturbation session. A daycare is supposed to take care of a child too young to take care of themselves as their parents aren’t able to during certain times of the day or week NOT to monitor or encourage sexual activities when a child isn’t even thinking about s*x. Keep in mind that those that can and are harming children are the ones who have access to them. They make it appear harmless like “we think that children should be encouraged to explore their body and the earlier they start the better.” What business is that of theirs? The child isn’t at the daycare for that. In fact, if a child is continuously touching themselves down there they might be being abused and learning it from adults from somewhere…!!! The daycare workers could be missing the plot altogether. Maybe they should be contacting the authorities to make sure the child isn’t being abused instead of telling the child “to go in a corner and continue their foreplay.”
I’m simply glad I don’t have a toddler during these times because there’s no way I would put them in any daycare with the depraved minds of today. If anyone is interested in viewing the stupidity of adults today (mainly in the west) and what they’re exposing children to all in the goodwill of “children need to be exposed to their sexuality” take a look. The link is HERE
Sad how children are being abused today under the guise of “progressiveness” and the parents are allowing it or OK with it none the wiser. Some parents can see where such activities can lead. You can let your child enjoy the “drag queen story hour” or “answering question like what gender do you want to be today or what pronoun they want to use.” It’s simply never enough with these people. The world has gone mad.
I really think you are exagerrating. Especially for Switzerland, which is still very conservative land comparing to many others. Having toddler these days is not problem at all in the aspects that you are describing. There are so many other problems (like excessive media consumption or bulling at schools) that you don’t have to invent the problems that do not exist.
Who is exposing children to imagery and exhibitions of sexual nature???
My children have been in the Swiss nursery and school system for 15 yrs now and I do recognize that in sex ed in 6th grade they were probably shown more than I would have done BUT I also recognised today kids have access to so much that better be taught by an experienced person.
Your video is from UK and looks like a bunch of people on a rant without anything concrete…
Essentially here they tell us parents to be super open and biological about sex - so I always talked about penis and vaginas when the subject came up. Just really factual etc. When the kids are provocative and drop names of things I simply ask them what they want to know and then again, I am factual and biological about it.
Your link shows two people discussing a book. I felt the chat was more for shock value than offering evidence of abuse. It also has nothing to do with Switzerland.
My advice to you is to avoid hyperbolic content and rely on people’s experiences with day care centers here in Switzerland. You’ll find that Switzerland is pretty low key when it comes to gender pronouns, etc.
I don’t what video you saw but this was from Serbia ;-). The first bit is some guy ranting about a book to the school board, so he’s obviously in the US. There’s no context for whom the book is intended. Couldn’t see what the book was.
The second bit shows scenes from a demonstration in the UK, concerning sex education material. What happened is that schools outsourced sex education, and it was later discovered that some of the suppliers were using entirely age-inappropriate material. Oh and that parents were not permitted to see the material, because of “data protection” (which is of course garbage).
Say whut? My daughters did the “bring your daughter to work” days, which later became Gender days, when you were encouraged to bring your child of either sex to work.
Interesting. First post outside of introducing themselves is something designed to whip up outrage, supported by stuff that’s nothing to do with Switzerland.
The way I read it is that if children do end up playing “doctors and nurses” or whatever, they are not going to be punished.
To me, it’s pretty obvious you are one of those Christian fundamentalists (probably from the U.S.) who have been brainwashed into believing this sort of thing is sinful and harmful.
