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Is Your Child Growing Up Too Fast?
Each time our children graduate from one stage to another (i.e. crawling to walking,
preschool to real school, high school to graduation) we as parents are excited as well as a
little sad. We want our children to grow up, but we reminisce about the "good old" days.
These mixed feelings are perfectly normal, but our question to you is "Is your child
growing up too fast emotionally and socially?" The following questions will help you
gauge if your child, no matter how old he is now, is growing up too fast:
1. Does your child want to wear clothing that is designed for much
older children?
2. Does your younger child 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 child is reading age-appropriate?
4. Is your child involved in so many extra-curricular or recreational
activities that he or she has no down time to just explore or goof off?
5. Does your child still have that wonderful "childish" sense of wonder
about the world, or does he or she “know it all”?
6. Do your find that your child grows increasingly impatient and has to
always be entertained? Does he often express that he’s 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 child, "No, you can't do that
until you’re older or that outfit is not acceptable to wear in our family?"
9. Do you monitor what music your child listens to, computer games he
plays, Internet sites he visits? Are they age-appropriate?
10. Does your child hang out with much older kids who are not a good
influence?
Hopefully, these questions have caused you to stop and think about how quickly
your child is growing up. Due to society's pressures, sometimes you might have
to make a concerted effort to keep your child innocent. There will be parent and
child peer pressure to force your children to do things early. Sure you may not be a
popular parent when you say "no" to something that everyone else is doing, but
parenting is not for the fainthearted, neither is it a popularity contest.
In closing, let me relate a recent example. I was watching a morning news shoe
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
started 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. Keep your children innocent and
protect their childhood.
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.
Each time our children graduate from one stage to another (i.e. crawling to walking,
preschool to real school, high school to graduation) we as parents are excited as well as a
little sad. We want our children to grow up, but we reminisce about the "good old" days.
These mixed feelings are perfectly normal, but our question to you is "Is your child
growing up too fast emotionally and socially?" The following questions will help you
gauge if your child, no matter how old he is now, is growing up too fast:
1. Does your child want to wear clothing that is designed for much
older children?
2. Does your younger child 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 child is reading age-appropriate?
4. Is your child involved in so many extra-curricular or recreational
activities that he or she has no down time to just explore or goof off?
5. Does your child still have that wonderful "childish" sense of wonder
about the world, or does he or she “know it all”?
6. Do your find that your child grows increasingly impatient and has to
always be entertained? Does he often express that he’s 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 child, "No, you can't do that
until you’re older or that outfit is not acceptable to wear in our family?"
9. Do you monitor what music your child listens to, computer games he
plays, Internet sites he visits? Are they age-appropriate?
10. Does your child hang out with much older kids who are not a good
influence?
Hopefully, these questions have caused you to stop and think about how quickly
your child is growing up. Due to society's pressures, sometimes you might have
to make a concerted effort to keep your child innocent. There will be parent and
child peer pressure to force your children to do things early. Sure you may not be a
popular parent when you say "no" to something that everyone else is doing, but
parenting is not for the fainthearted, neither is it a popularity contest.
In closing, let me relate a recent example. I was watching a morning news shoe
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
started 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. Keep your children innocent and
protect their childhood.
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.
