It irks me when people say "teens grow up too fast these days" (in that sententious, eyes-raised way). Particularly people who raised kids decades ago. It's as if to they're censoring parents nowdays for allowing it. I raised kids in the 90s and 00s and it's different now than it was then. The world is moving faster. Parents have a lot more challenges. They can't control the hyper-frenetic pace of the world any more than parents in past generations could.It also irks me when people complain of kids growing fast when they weren't there for their kids. Kids have longer childhoods than ever, now. But if adults don't pay attention, they miss it.
Then there are those who stick their heads in the sand. I'm getting mighty fed up with this talk of our "sexualized" culture. Of course teens are sexualized. Hello--they're in puberty, ruled by hormones. Ignoring that fact will not make it cease to be so. What kids need is help navigating, not pretentious hand-wringing. Read more Teen Sexuality--Don't Be an Ostrich, Stay Connected
