Early Puberty

The adolescence process seems to get earlier and more premature each day.

This morning I taught my elementary students (grade two, 7 years old). I brought them to the library to watch some children movies (without Indonesian subtitle) to train their hearing and familiarity of British English accent. The movies, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Dad, Please Bring Me the Moon, are actually very simple. But you know how kids are so easy to get excited on what we usually consider small unimportant things.

Everything went OK until it was almost time to go home and the children became noisy and messy. It was the time I saw this boy laying down on the carpet. I came towards him to remind him that he was not supposed to lay there, when this girl called Meishell walked above him with her two legs on his sides. Then Karel stretched his arms in between her thighs, seemingly like he was trying to grab something under Meishell's skirt.

I was shocked. But there was no time for it.. Quickly I came beside them and slapped Karel's hands hard.

"What do you think you are doing, young boy?!" My voice sounded very harsh and angry, I'm sure.

Karel looked scared and almost cried, "She asked me to do it, Miss Carla." I noticed him not wearing his thick eyeglasses at that time, but again, I had no time thinking about it. I looked at Meishell and asked, "Is it right?"

She was quiet.

Karel kept repeating that it wasn't his very own intention. Since I couldn't get the girl say a word, I told Karel that he should have rejected the request and to Meishell I warned her to not ever do it again, or I'd take a serious action concerning that.

Man!