Growing Up Too Fast

It seems to me that most children are trying to grow up faster than they should. It saddens me when I see parents or adults encouraging children to act like adults or grow up fast. I believe that God has blessed us with many seasons of life, and we are meant to enjoy each season.

As a parent it can be hard to wait patiently for our children to reach certain milestones. Almost every first time parent can't wait to see their child crawl, walk or say their first words. I completely understand the encouragement we as parents give our children to reach these and other milestones....walking, riding a bike, using the toilet and other exciting parts of childhood. I am certainly not encouraging anyone to let their children lay around and act like they are 2 forever. (I have experienced both in my years)

What I have been experiencing lately are children who are loosing their innocence because a parent is allowing them to watch movies or shows with way too much violence or sexual situations in them; families that have decided to allow their children to dress in ways that only street girls used to dress; and people encouraging even 5 and 6 year olds to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. Once a child makes this step away from innocence, there is no way to get it back.

As parents we know that their are stepping stones that children take as they develop. Typically they roll over before they crawl, they crawl before they walk, and they walk before they run. These same type of stepping stones occur as children grow into adults. Young teens or tweens build strong friendships with the opposite sex, learning boundaries and uniqueness about others before dating. Young people also need to understand their changing bodies and what clothing is most flattering for their God given shape. When we push children through stages we are setting them up for heartbreak and failure in the future.

I recently had a discussion with an 8 year old that seemed obsessed with developing breasts and finding a boyfriend. We took out a piece of paper and worked out some math. I asked her at what age she felt she would become an adult, we agreed upon 20. Then I asked her at what age does she think people die, we agreed upon 80. I pointed out to her that she will have 60 years to be an adult, but that she really only has about 17 years to truly be a child. She will be an adult for 3 times longer than she will be a child.

We started talking about the importance of being a child while you still have the chance. Childhood is the time when we learn so much. We learn academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. These are the years when we can make mistakes and the consequences aren't usually life altering. It is so important to build a great foundation of learning from our choices when we are young, so that we can think things out clearly and not make detrimental choices when they have lasting consequences.

Let me encourage you to help your children enjoy the season they are in. Each season is a blessing and can be used to teach very important life lessons. There is no reason to grow up too fast.