Are Kids these Days Moving too fast?

Senior+Homecoming+Court+at+the+2015+HOCO+Parade.+

Sharon Roberts

Senior Homecoming Court at the 2015 HOCO Parade.

Kathleen Cintron, photographer

Kids these days are moving too fast! They are trying to grow before their time. I interviewed my mother who has raised me for 19 years and this is what she had to say when asked about how kids want to grow up too fast.  “Kids need to learn to be kids and enjoy this stage of their lives, adulthood is too complicated, and you do not want to rush into it”, she reflected.  I then asked, if she too wanted to grow up fast, as most of us do when she was young. “I think that we all do at one point, but then we regret it” Nancy Cintron said.
Reflecting on if there was a difference in childhood from then and now, Nancy had this to say, “Oh definitely, when I was a child I enjoyed every minute of it.  Technology at that time was not as developed so we have lots of playtime outdoors with family and friends”, she expressed. “Do you think a child wants to grow up because what they see on TV?” I asked. “Yes, technology is very involved, it is like it serves as a vacuum to get you inside and it won’t let you go” she replied.

“What are some tips that you would like to give kids that want to grow up too fast?” “Enjoy this stage of your life, have fun, prepare yourself well to be able to face the challenges that later on you will encounter in your life more efficiently” she concluded. My mother feels that children want to grow up too fast, they need to slow down and enjoy this precious time of their lives and just be kids!

I also interviewed Katy Weed, a teenager that it is 16 years old and attends Westside High School. Here’s what she had to say, “Kids that want to grow up too fast end up become kids that are not good.” “When you were a child did you want to grow up fast?” “Yes, I did I want to leave home because all my brothers and sister were gone out of the house and I wanted to be like them”, she replied. “Is childhood different then, when you were a child?”I questioned. “See, when I was a kid, my childhood revolved around TV, and cheer, but now, it all is about cell phones, I want a boyfriend, etc.” I dug deeper, “Do you think a child wants to grow up because what they see on TV?” “Yes, because all the new shows that are coming out, showing kids and teens pregnant and fighting” she expressed. “What are some tips that you would like to give kids that want to grow up too fast?” “Don’t grow up too fast, I was like you, and wanted to grow up fast, now, I wish I can be a kid again, cause if so, it is over, that is it, you are going to look back, and I wish I never tried to grow up fast”, she concluded.

Based on the opinions of Nancy Cintron and Katy Weed, I feel that in fact, kids in the past and these days want to grow too fast.  However, these days, because of technology, and the social media involved within it, kids want to grow faster than decades ago, and due to this, many get in trouble and ruin the possibility to do something great with their lives.  Life is too precious to be wasted, enjoy childhood, your teenage years, like they were meant to be and do not try to do things that you are not prepared to face yet. Enjoy being a kid now, you will have plenty of time to be an adult later!