Well, I for one would have called them out on it, but I'm a middle school teacher and I don't stand for that kind of nonsense. Not in my classroom, certainly, but I am not afraid to take the "village" approach. I would have said something like, "What are you doing? That's not appropriate here. Are your parents okay with that behavior?" And I probably would have watched to see who they came in with and approached their parents as well. Their parents might have told me to eff off and mind my own business, who knows. Honestly, I couldn't care less. But no, I would not "MYOB" if I saw a couple of 10 year olds groping each other.

But that's just me.

And before DCUM throws a fit, I'm home sick today which is why I'm posting in the middle of the day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Goodness, mind your own business!

My son is 9 and because of his baby face and small stature people think he's 5.
I'm 34 and people have told me I look like a teenager (not because of clothing!).

These kids were probably much older than you think they were.

OP, I have small kids who look young. These kids were not older. There was a group of them, and they all looked to be around fourth grade.

Okay, lets say the kids were 5th or 6th. It is still inappropriate. Or would you be one of the parents who think it was just fine and "cute"?

OP, let it go already!

No one on this thread thinks it's cute.

And I'm French, and think holding hands at any age is cute.
My 9 year old son holds hands with his best friend, a girl. Nothing sexual about it.

Groping in public is not appropriate. Groping in private is their business (and their parents, if they are minor).
As a child growing up in the UK, some of my classmates were kissing behind the gym at that age.
The unusual thing here is that this was public behavior in a relatively prudish area, unlike PP's precocious experience, which is not usual preteen behavior (it's usually the teens who like provocation), and that's why we find it hard to believe.

So... where was this pool, please?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was making out with a "boyfriend" in 5th grade, because that's what the "cool" kids did. Seriously, we were actually on the bed heavily making out. I think it came from wanting to be older, like big brother or sister who seemed so mature and uber cool when you are 10 or 11.
It was totally inappropriate, but everyone was doing it. Some of these kids lost their virginity by age 12, one was 11! I am not kidding.

Food for thought.

Thanks for posting.

Likely it was a similar type thing.

Maybe. But I'll bet you weren't fooling around in plain sight of the neighborhood pool parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was making out with a "boyfriend" in 5th grade, because that's what the "cool" kids did. Seriously, we were actually on the bed heavily making out. I think it came from wanting to be older, like big brother or sister who seemed so mature and uber cool when you are 10 or 11.
It was totally inappropriate, but everyone was doing it. Some of these kids lost their virginity by age 12, one was 11! I am not kidding.

Food for thought.

Thanks for posting.

Likely it was a similar type thing.

Yup. I had a friend who lost her virginity the summer after 4th grade. She was 10. The guy was 12, I think. She was the first, but there were others who were having sex by 6th grade. And there were definitely kids making out, feeling each other up, etc. in 5th-6th grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BTW, who declared it cute, OP? That part isn't clear to anyone.

I promise you that you have given this waaaaay more thought and anquish than they did.

Assuming this actually happened. Which it did not.

Believe what you want.

I saw it happening.

But who, precisely, called it "cute?" That's in your subject line, with quotations and all. Who said that?

Well, since it is in the title of the original post, and no one had posted at that point, no one here has said anything about cute.

Like I said, I have kids of a similar age and a little older, and parents regularly refer to their new and budding crushes and relationships as "cute". That word is used all the time when anyone mentions a tween's boyfriend, girlfriend or crush.