Are Kids Really Growing Up Faster These Days?

I’ve heard it said so many times-and agreed to by everyone within earshot—that it has become, in essence, an accepted “fact”.

Namely, that “kids are growing up a lot faster these days”.

I disagree.

It is true that kids are EXPOSED to adult material at an earlier age, thanks to the media and the internet. In fact, all of us are exposed to-and influenced by-more sheer tonnage of images, data and content due to the same sources regardless of our age. As for “growing up”, I would say that we as parents are facilitating the deferment of adult-type responsibility among our children. We do this in the name of “letting kids be kids”. A noble objective, but the problem it leads to is often a crop of 18 year olds who are suddenly “expected” to be adults-and are ill-equipped for the job.

From the stone age up until the Industrial Revolution and beyond, children were almost IMMEDIATELY expected to contribute to the well-being of the family. On farms, that meant chores. And lots of them.

During the Depression, it was common for kids to drop out of school in order to help support the family.
Talk about growing up fast.

Girls as young as thirteen-as soon as they reached puberty—were ripe to be brides and bear children.
Talk about growing up fast.

No one will harken back to the days of sweat shops exploiting children and say that it was a better time, but it is certainly a complete departure from today, where children many times have ZERO responsibilities-aside from school.

These days, the primary activity for kids is their education-and this is good. However, once the bell rings and kids are turned loose, there is often a vacuum of responsibility. Countless hours are spent on sports, video games, shopping and leisure activities. The primary objective is self-entertainment.

No chores, no responsibilities.

Here’s a video clip with suggested chores for kids-some pretty decent insights here as well:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNs1S3WZPwc


We’ve come a long way to protect our kids from the early entry into the workaday world, but maybe a little more responsibility around the house is in order. I can tell you that I am guilty of it as well, often doing the simple chores that should have gone to the kids—for no other reason than they were able—and should develop a sense that the operation of the family involves EVERYONE-not just the adults.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Are kids REALLY growing up too fast these days?

I say NO. They need to start growing up a lot sooner—and we as parents needs to strike the balance of a growing sense of responsibility for them—and the notion that they should still be “kids”

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