Watching over East Leyden

The Eagle's Eye

Watching over East Leyden

The Eagle's Eye

Watching over East Leyden

The Eagle's Eye

Kids These Days: Growing Up Too Fast?

Nowadays, it seems to be the norm that middle schoolers are dating, hanging out late, and are more technologically savvy while older generations are left thinking “we didn’t do that when we were younger.”

Through the years there have been obvious shifts in what is seen as acceptable for different age groups.

Many middle school girls now seem to want to portray the maturity of a teenager through their use of make-up, and boys also begin paying more attention and care towards their looks.

Before, young girls didn’t wear make-up in middle school and boys didn’t work out; instead, kids played outside and didn’t have a care in the world about what people thought of them.

Although this “maturity” seems to be happening at a younger age, it isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing. There are both negative and positive outcomes.

“I feel like when they [kids] grow up too fast, they don’t get to experience being a kid,” senior Anais Villafana said.

Villafana is currently a senior at East Leyden High School and has a younger sister that is 11 years old and in 6th grade.

“They probably have to deal with reality maybe when they aren’t ready for it,” said East librarian Susan Peterson. She has a child who is 10 years old and in 4th grade.

Children are growing up faster socially, but mentally these children are not the age they appear to be.

“They might look like they are a lot older and might even put on an act that they are mature and they can handle things, but then they are given situations where they are not in any shape or form ready for and they have to deal with the fallout,” Peterson added.

That’s because they are not yet mentally mature enough to handle these type of situations.

But growing up faster can also be a good thing for some pre-teens.

“It also might open doors for some kids. There could be a positive, if they are trying to develop themselves as a professional. If they look and act older people might take them more seriously,” Peterson said.

East psychology teacher Maura Gavin shared her take on the evolving shift in norms within age groups.

“Socially, students, in a way, are becoming more developed at a quicker pace because of exposure to the media,” Gavin said.

As time goes on, there are advancements in technology and changes in our culture. Today anyone can access information through the internet about anything they want, and the whole world is connected so there are many more influences on young kids’ lives. This may possibly account for the heightened “maturity” rate.

“Before, many things were censored for older generations,” Gavin added.

Within the pop culture there are teen stars that serve as role models to young kids, and this also influences kids to talk or dress a certain way.

“My daughter watches things like;” iCarly,” “Victorious,” and “Good Luck Charlie,” and all of them have older characters. They all dress, not provocatively, but they dress like teenage girls and I think she wants to emulate that,” Peterson said about the perceived effect of the media on her own daughter.

“When I was in 6th grade I would watch things like Disney Channel, and now that my sister is in 6th grade she watches things like MTV,” Villafana said.

With the rush of everyday life, parents may not have the time to watch their children’s every move to make sure they are not growing up too fast.

“It’s really hard in our society today, especially the United States, because we are always in a rush to do things, the rush to learn things. We should absolutely slow down,” Peterson said.

But don’t think that this is the end of kids being kids. There are things that you can do to slow down this quick growth, but it will take more effort because of the changing times.

“I find myself putting the brakes on a lot with my daughter. I can control what she watches on TV and buying her clothing,” Peterson said.

“Parents need to understand there is a shift in our culture in terms of how children are growing up and they need to research about it or talk to their child about it,” Gavin said.

Growing up too quickly isn’t solely a bad or good thing, but it is happening and people must adjust to this change in culture.

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About the Contributor
Emily Chiu, Visual Manager
I am a senior and part of the English 4 Journalism class of East Leyden High School and a staff member of The Talon. I'm also a Class of 2013 officer, part of the production team for the new Video Announcements that are shown on Fridays, dedicated Manga Club member, and also a state qualifier for Skills USA for Photoshop. Other clubs that I'm a part of, including the ones listed above, Pulse Club, Art Club, and iRead Book Club. I'm interested in anything to do with art or just being creative and any sort of music. Next year, I hope to major in animation.

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  • S

    Stephanie MNov 30, 2012 at 11:33 am

    I think that younger kids are growing up too fast and it isn’t good because my younger cousin is only 11 and she is addicted to her iPhone, but I also think it depends on how they’re raised at home.

  • L

    Lisset GaminoNov 30, 2012 at 10:36 am

    I can totally relate to this article because my brother and I are only a year apart and we would watch cartoons all the time , build forts out of blankets and be silly. We never cared about our looks and my sister who is 6 years younger than me wants to watch Jersey Shore , teenage movies and shows, she always wants to be around me and my friends . In some way I think it’s because she is the “baby” in the house she is surrounded by adults all the time she feels the rush in growing up and wants to feel a part of our conversations and decisions .

  • Y

    Yadira CentenoNov 30, 2012 at 10:28 am

    I strongly agree that kids these days are growing up to fast.