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Are Your Children Growing Up Too Fast?
It is okay for our children to keep their childhood a little longer...Each time our children graduate from one stage to another (crawling to walking, preschool to school, high school to graduate) we as parents feel; excitement and sadness at the same time. We want our children to grow up, but we reminisce about the "good old" days when they were young. Aren't these mixed feelings normal for all of us?But lately I have been wondering: "Are our children growing up too fast emotionally and socially?" While We can't stop their physical growth, we do have an effect on their emotional and social growth. Our society is compressing childhood into a smaller and smaller time period. Our children are not children for very long. Logistically, we only have 18 years in our entire life to be children. As parents, we struggle to keep our children innocent. Unfortunately, the violence of the world tries so hard to steal away even more of our children's innocence. Children are not little adults even though children may dress like adults in miniature. Children want to emulate their teen or adult heroes in dress and talk. For parents its seems we are fighting a raging river in keeping our children young and innocent. Society, schools, and even we ourselvesm are pushing children to grow up too fast. Answer the following questions to see if your children are growing up too fast:
2. Do your younger children want to watch TV shows designed for teenagers? Do your teenagers want to watch adult TV shows that contain sex and violence? 3. Are the books your children are reading age appropriate? 4. Are your children involved in so many extra-curricular activities they have no down time to just explore or goof off? 5. Are your children losing that wonderful "childish" sense of wonder about the world or do they know it all? 6. Do your find your children are growing increasingly impatient and have to be entertained? Do they often say I'm bored? 7. Can you remember the last time you told your child you are not old enough to know about a certain topic and we will talk about it when you get older? 8. When was the last time you told your children, "No, you can't do that until your older or that outfit is not acceptable to wear in our family?" 9. Do you monitor what music your children listen to, computer games they play, Internet sites they visit - are they age appropriate? 10. Do your children hang out with much older kids who are not a good influence? Think about these questions in relationship to how quickly your children are growing up. Society is exerting great pressure on everyone including our children. This is not about sheltering your children, but about filtering out all the noise, so that only the valuable and truth-filled information gets through. You will have to make a concerted effort to keep your children's childhood. There will be adult and child peer pressure to push your children into doing things early. You may not be a popular parent when you say "No" to something "everyone else is doing." But you will be a good parent. Parenting is a responsiility, not a popularity contest. Recently, I was watching a morning news show and they were discussing summer camps for kids. The guest said more and more kids are looking for computer and science camps, in order to improve their resumes for college. I found myself yelling at the TV - "Why can't you just enjoy camp, instead of it looking good on a resume. When did camp stop being fun and start being work?"
Remember the wise words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1 - "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Childhood is a precious time and it is all ready much too short. Help your children keep their innocence and protect their childhood. About the Author: Kimberly M. Chastain, MS, LMFT, is the Christian Working Mom Coach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in helping Christian women make the most of their lives. She is the author of the on-line course, "I Can't Say No" and Pearls of Encouragement for Christian Working Moms, a free e-book. If you suffer from "I Can't Say 'No" Syndrome, visit Kimberly's site today for the details on an exciting email course that's sure to set you free! www.christianworkingmom.com/online.htm.
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