A child's social and personal development should be allowed to take place gradually and naturally, over an extended period of time. Children need time to be children.

It is questionable whether placing young boys and girls together in schools and playgrounds, and expecting them to relate to each other as young "boyfriends" and "girlfriends", is a positive approach.

In the past, a high school graduation prom sometimes served as an introduction to the opposite gender. The children were nervous, cautious, and fearful, since they did not know what to do.

Today, children who are even younger feel pressured into developing friendships with members of the other gender.

Why?

One advantage of Jewish religious education is the fact that that it separates the boys from the girls. Members of each gender are allowed to grow up at their own pace. These young children do not feel the need to try to impress each other and they are not silly towards each other, because they do not have direct contact with children of the opposite gender.

The exposure to the other gender was limited, since Jews often married in their teens. They didn't need a prom, since traditional Jewry had other ways to help Jews meet.

The current push to have children socialize among themselves at a young age might be a mistake.