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Girls are growing up too fast

photo courtesy of www.stuff.co.nz
photo courtesy of www.stuff.co.nz

Makeup, high heels, and purses: all things that little girls couldn’t wait to reach the age in which they would be old enough to use. They watched their mothers apply mascara and lipstick, and longed for the day that they would be at the mirror beside them. This is a natural part of growing up, having the desire to do it too quickly. However, this yearning was always quelched by parenting that urged children to enjoy their childhood while it lasted, and play outside, like every youngster should.

This idea no longer exists. Young girls no longer have the desire to wear makeup because parents have suddenly stopped caring that their little girl looks like she just woke up at a club, because hey, she is fitting in, right? Wrong. Nowadays, little girls are growing up far too quickly, and it is scaring the bejeezus out of me.

When I was a kid (oh boy does it feel weird to say that), most little girls were mainly concerned with Gabriella and Troy’s relationship in the High School Musical films. Nowadays, they are worried about how to match their shoes to their dresses and the jewelry they wear to the 6th grade dance. Children have broken down the barriers of what it means to be young, and have created their own adult world, and it is terrifying.

Another aspect of the rapidly increasing speed of mental maturity within the youth is deviant behavior. Everyone experiences it at some point in their lives, but now we have elementary aged girls worrying about kissing boys and having a boyfriend, when in reality, cooties should still be valid in their minds.

Our girls are growing up too fast. It is as simple as that. And yet I don’t see any change in parenting, or any lessons being taught. It is as if society has turned a blind eye to this outrageous progression of maturity and has just allowed it to happen. And by letting this happen, our girls keep acting older, and losing their childhood innocence.

We need to remember that little girls should live out their childhood by playing in the yard and having tea parties (or playing with monster trucks, whatever they enjoy) instead of buying skimpy dresses and putting on mascara for another day at elementary school. Parents need to recognize this, and give their girls their youth back.

Written by Morgan Lanyon

Morgan is a senior at Mt. Carmel High School. She is kept constantly busy with varsity field hockey, Hebrew school, swim team, and being the co-Editor in Chief of the MC Sun. She has a problem with watching too much TV, and eating an excessive amount of snacks. She knows the lyrics to practically every Billy Joel song, and doesn't care who knows. She also knows about most celebrities, and can answer your questions almost as fast as the internet.

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