| I'm shocked at how precocious children are these days - they are like mini-adults. I'm not speaking simply in terms of when they hit puberty (although I will assume for now that puberty hits earlier than when I was a child) but I'm also referring to their manner and how worldly they are.
It worries me because I'm not convinced that a 12 year old is equipped to take in all of the media to which they are exposed to courtesy of the internet and TV. What I do see is 12 year old girls dressed in provocative adult clothing, and speaking as though they are adults. It concerns me a lot.
In contrast when I was 12 I dressed in ratty jeans and ran around the backyard - not dress like I'm mid 20s and hang out at shopping complexes or at the movies.
Speaking of which last weekend I went to see a movie. Here in Australia it is rated "Parental Guidance" which essentially means that kids under 15 may see it without an adult present. I asked for a ticket and the woman asked me "Adult or child?". That question would be perfectly reasonable, if I weren't 26 years old! I must acknowledge that I look very young, but as I said to a friend, I speak like an adult. And then I was reminded how adult children sound these days.
Absolutely freaks me out. Added to that, the thought of 10 years old being a usual age for a girl to start her period is astounding. |