Are kids today growing up too fast??

I am sure this has been asked only a milion times, but as my children (ages 9, almost 4 and almost 6) get older, I can't help but worry. We try the best we can as parents, but the world does have an effect on them, ya know? We don't allow them to watch movies that we feel are too "grown up" for them, NO myspace, dating until they are mature enough, etc. But, at some point, the pressures of the outsdie world does step in. We are in no means "sheltering" them.

So my question is, are we (in general, as parents) allowing our children to do things that they shouldn't be doing until they are much older?? Myspace, game systems, adult movies, make-up, dating....etc...I could go on all day. What ever happened to kids playing outdoors and being KIDS??? It's becoming so hard to let kids be kids in the world we live in now, and I find that very sad.....

Are kids today growing up too fast??

Peachso...I've read that before and it's awesome every time. We cannot shelter our children. I DON'T believe in censoring and I DO believe in consequences. When my mom was 13 when she went out to work full time. Are they growing up to fast? No. Are they babied too long? Yes.

I think we need to spend more time TALKING with our children and explaining things and less time protecting.

Instead of saying...You can't watch wrestling because it's violent...watch with them and explain that it's entertainment and not real. Or it's sport and not anger induced, anger induced violence is not acceptable whereas sport is a challenge of strength and skill. Does anyone else notice that kids don't know the difference these days?????

Instead of trying to pretend there is no sex, talk to them about responsibility. And most of all instead of saying....oh he's just a kid, he doesn't know any better....punish him and he will know better next time! How else can they possibly learn????? Kids are smart, they will learn if you take the time to teach them instead of being lazy and making excuses for their mistakes.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

I agree but that is the world we live in! You can't protect them forever! They have friends at school who can influence them also! Just teach them right from wrong and you won't have to worry about them straying down the wrong path!

Are kids today growing up too fast??

Some kids are growing up too fast....I think a lot of it dose depend on the parenting, but outside influences don't helpmuch either. As long as you can teach your children to not worry what others think and not give in to the pressures of today's world then they wil be fine. Give them tips on dealing with peer pressure (especialy that 9 year old) and give them all the tools you can to make good decisions for themselves. Let them you know that you and their dad are always there for them to talk to about anything. If they can have an open relationship with you, and feel like they can come to you, you might be able to avoid to much "growing up too soon."

Are kids today growing up too fast??

I have to agree with you, we are growing up way too fast. Almost all the people I know are going have slept together. I remember once I read a news article where 6th graders had sex during shop class WHILE the teacher was there in the room. So, I suggest you stick to whatever it is you're doing and make sure your kids know not to fall into pressure.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

They all have to grow up at some time. My grandma was married and having kids at 16. My kid will live at home until 18 and only than be finishing school. Childhood is streching out longer and longer as edcuation is taking more and more years, due to the new advances... there is alot to learn nowadays!

If it was not myspace and t.v., than it would be the bars and gambling. there have always been bad influences and good influencs. I let my duaghter on the computer and to watch some movies that have a little questionable stuff. that is my teaching opportunity. I can't shelter her (I mean I could, but that would not do her any favors), but I can prepare her for what is to come. I do shelter her some of course, she is only 8 and there are just things that she is not allowed to watch and her internet is carefully monintored by me in the same room. But if she lived 75 years ago, I would just have different concerns.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

Yes, they are growing up too fast. And yes, us as parents are allowing things that maybe we shouldn't. My baby boy is 5 and a half months, and my friends baby boy is 8 and a half months. And now I'm over reacting because I also want my baby to crawl and eat chocolates, because her baby is doing it. I'm going to back off and let him be a baby and do things at his own pase. And if he dosn't eat chocolate, so what, at least his teeth will stay good. And for example when he gets older I dont want him to watch scary movies, but who knows. Maybe his friends will be watching it and then he will want to watch it too. And kids are doing things they shouldn't at a younger age and girls of 13 are falling pregnant. I'll try my best in raising my son.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

my age is 11 i am matured enough i know these things:

sex=putting the girl's main point(pen) into the boy's main point(pencil) then a baby reproduces who tears the main point then comes out.

periods=bleeding from main point

puberty=a time when a adult(obviouslly a girl) becomes prepared to reproduce

Are kids today growing up too fast??

Here's a humorous answer to your question....a friend sent it to me some time ago, and I thought it a fitting answer to your question. Hope you enjoy it!

Btw, I feel the answer is: DEFINITELY yes...

TO ALL THE KIDS

WHO SURVIVED the

1930's 40 's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived

being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,

doors or cabinets and when we

rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants %26amp; children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and

NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because .

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING !

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day.

And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down

the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or

DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outs ide and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no

lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang

the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little

League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had

to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.

They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO

DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them . . . CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up

as

kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives

for our own good

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

"With

hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,

severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another,

and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,"Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us....go ahead and delete this.

For the rest of us.....pass this on.

.

The

one thing not mentioned is our dads had guns in the house with amo

nearby and we did not touch it or discuss it with our friends. He did

not need a gun safe or trigger lock. We were taught to leave it ALONE.

Period.

Those Born 1930-1979!

Are kids today growing up too fast??

Well, I'm not. If a site has a minimum age limit on it then I stick to it. For myspace, that would be 14.

Makeup - only for parties, and then a bit of kiddie glitter, not adult style makeup. Dating - are you kidding? We have ONE TV, and the only thing the kids get to watch on it that I don't want to watch are kids' shows. Real kids' shows, not ones where teens do adult things.

It's not hard. You just have to be prepared to say NO and tell your kids that you don't care if every other child in the entire UNIVERSE has a myspace account (or watches 18 movies, or whatever), they will be abiding by the rules.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

I have three kids two girls that are almost 16 the other 10 and an 8 year old son. My son is always outside hanging out with a group of friends playing football or making ramps for their bikes etc but in short they are being boys having fun and being kids. The only time they are inside is when the weather is to bad for them to be out and even then they are more likely to get out the hotwheels and cover my kitchen with them thatn to play on the game system.

My oldest likes to think she is grown because all of her friends are allowed to do so and so why cant she. We rae talking a matter of clothes that barely cover what they are suppose to, cell phones with internet access, unlimited unsupervised time on the computer, movies I would blush at and so on however my daughter knows that I am an un cool mom and I do not care what her friends parents allow it isnt going to happen in our house until she is an adult and moves out on her own.

We have recently had problems with our 10 year old. She is a very soft hearted kid and loves being a kid. She still has all of her baby dolls and will spend hours playing with them, her friends are more concerned with fashion and boys and have left her behind. We now have a group of 10 years olds running around in full makeup with skanky clothes on running the streets with no aduly supervision and sorry my child will not be one of them.

When the government started getting involved and telling parents how to raise their kids we went from a society with kids that actually acted like kids and enjoyed it, showed respect to their elders and understood family to a group of out of control brats that thinks everything should be handed to them on a silver platter and know that you cant punish them becuse all they have to do is say child abuse and you are the bad guy.

If you listen to country music then I am sure you have heard the song "Different World" by Bucky Covington. If you dont then look it up on Limewire and listen to it It fits todays society all to well.

People can call me an uncool mom or whatever they want but my kids act like kids, respect their peers and adults, good students and know when we sasy no we mean no. I think parents could learn a lot from the old days.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

I think -- at least for those of us lucky enough to live in a safe area -- it's really not that hard for parents to make sure their kids grow up playing outdoors and being kids. It's just a matter of turning off the tv and kicking them out to the backyard, just as our parents did with us. It's true that the influences of friends, media, etc. inevitably creep in unless you overshelter your kids, but getting them into healthy habits like spending lots of time outdoors when they're young is a very good antidote to those things.

peachso -- yes, that's how I grew up and it was great. We'd go out in the morning and come home when we got hungry -- starting at about age 6. And it was nothing less than glorious. Notably, though, some kids did die in car accidents without seatbelts, got serious head injuries without helmets, got sick from sharing germs passing around the soda bottle, etc. My feeling is that some risks are so easily avoided that you may as well avoid them. Putting on a seatbelt or helmet doesn't detract from your life at all, and it's no big hassle ... so why not? Getting rid of the lead paint is just good sense. When risk aversion causes you to stop playing outside, though, that's gone totally too far, and you're probably causing more harm than you're preventing.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

The problem with many kids today is not that they are growing up too fast, it is that they think they are and never actually do.

They leap ahead to adult activities with a very immature understanding of the implications and consequences.

Sheltering is thinking you can keep your kids from reality forever. Good parenting is introducing things to them as they are ready and explaining and putting things into perspective, not abandoning them to figure it out on their own, which they will not.

Blame it partially on absent parents and shows like "Bad Girls" and "Super Sweet 16" that are handbooks on how to be an irresponsible, histrionic, useless spoiled brat. Kids imitate what they see, and this stuff is total trash.

Case in point--a 16 yr old girl saw "Juno", and instead of taking it as a warning to be responsible, thinks now it's a great idea to have a baby and give it to someone who wants one. Good lord.

Are kids today growing up too fast??

The best way to raise akid behave him like a big man. And give the kid one gun so he feels he can manage you. So he will do better in lifes with other people.