Kids Growing Up Too Fast? Why Let Them?

Are your kids growing up too fast? How much of that is your responsibility? Is it the media, peer pressure or permissiveness that prompts kids to lose their innocence so quickly these days? Whatever the case may be parents are not as powerless as they might believe or act. What can you do to stop kids from growing up so fast?

You rule the home front. Or at least you should. No matter what goes on in your kids lives outside the home, you can control what happens inside your four walls. If your kids are growing up too fast, you can slow it down a notch by using good judgment and teaching them to do the same. Kids spend a large portion of their day at home. Enforce common sense rules and practices to preserve their innocence. Keep your home life PG. They can't be what they don't see exemplified.

Restrict media time. Keep media exposure down to a couple hours a day or less. When you do allow it, monitor it. One way is to watch TV together as a family. This practice keeps viewing age appropriate. There's really no reason for kids to have a TV in their room. Use parental controls on your kids computers. They won't screen out everything, but they will help. The more PG you keep your kids day, the more they will retain their innocence.

Purchase only age appropriate items. No wonder kids are growing up too fast. I've seen kids as young as eight showing off a new iPod. They have no jobs. Who do you think paid for it? I'm no prude, but considering the content of today's music, do you really want your eight year old wired for sound? Shouldn't you be able to hear what they're listening to? Better yet, shouldn't they be at the playground playing baseball or something?

Pull the plug on profanity and other negative influences. Refuse to give your kids a bad example to follow. Don't watch questionable programming, either. Media caters to your tastes in order to please their advertisers. If enough people stayed away from sensationalistic programs, they wouldn't be on the air. We can't complain about kids growing up too fast if we're not willing to do something about it. Be a parent, not a figurehead.

Say no to the status quot. Your kids aren't the only ones who have to resist peer pressure. There's a lot of new and exciting changes in the world. That doesn't mean they're all good for us or our kids. Before you rush into following the latest fad or buying the latest gadget, give it some thought. Maybe your kids aren't the only ones growing up too fast. Maybe staying young isn't such a bad idea for you either. Have the good sense to know what's good for you. Stick to positive influences. Your kids will too.

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