Why are children's 'childhoods' becoming shorter than ever before?

Question

Why are SOME 11 year olds smoking, drinking, doing drugs, even (at least talking about) s*x, etc.

What happened to dolls, jumprope, Little League, Scouts, etc.--and chores!

Do you think it has to do with little to no adult supervision after school, due to working parents?

I seek opinions of all.

Answer 1

I blame it on permissive parents.  Too many parents these days don't want to bother themselves by getting up off the couch to actually discipline their kids or to see what is actually going on in their kids lives.  Some kids are given everything they want whenever they want it.

A lot of parents are more concerned about being "cool" parents or their kid's "friend" than actually doing any parenting.  It's sad.

Answer 2

I think you're just more aware of the subversive acts these days, rather then it being a whole new thing. With the internet, 24 hour a day news, and constant barrages of media it's pretty easy to hear about situations that in the past probably wouldn't have made it past a small town's own news cycle.

Answer 3

1-Electricity

2-Hormone and chimicals in the food.

3-Medias & Entertenaiments

Answer 4

Although I am not a parent, I think some of the blame lies in parenting, but also in communication.

Kids nowadays can get on the computer and are learning about things at a much younger age.

Answer 5

I don't think their childhood is becoming shorter, its just changing, they are still children smoking, children drinking and children having s*x, despite those being acts associated with adulthood.  Children today are simply exposed to so much more, in all aspects of life, coupled with the fact that we live in a society that has chosen freedom of expression over tradition, the battles over right and wrong are fought over whether the individual has the right to do it, not whether they should, and children are not oblivious to this.  They see how adults behave and they do the same.  Also we live in a world where our parents have strived to make life easier for us to the point that children no longer know what to fight for.  The need to improve our environment, as in houses, streets, technology etc seems to have peaked and modern children have focused on the weakness's of the fabric of human condition.  P to the EACE

Answer 6

Its because we force the children to become young adults at a younger age. We put too much on them and say we are "trying to get them ready for the world"

Answer 7

because their parents are children themselves

Answer 8

I think that children's childhood is getting longer. People used to be married and out the door having kids by 16/17. Now kids don't leave home until 18 and than usually go to more shcool or travel abit.

I think that you are looking at the kids that have rotten childhoods, but the kids with good childhoods are there too, it depends where you look. Even those kids that used to sneak to the outhouse with daddy's cigar  and swear and push the kids to the ground while the teacher was in the one room school grading papers at recess, had shorter childhoods than the kids smoking in public now.

Answer 9

are childhoods are getting shorter everyday becuase of all the pressure child r put under and the way in which the world is changing.children see so much, these days from tv ect that its just the way its going.

i think its sad.

cuz i lost my childhood, i was wearing heavy make up by 10 , smoking drinking taking drugs and having s*x by 11 beucause everyone was always saying grow up.so i did and i had to.im now 17 and for sad that i never really done the things i wnated to do or play games ive got the rest of my life to act like an adult, but childhood only comes once.

Answer 10

I guess I understand what you're saying..

But my daughter is only 4 so what do I know.. but she's really good & listens to me.. now ask me again in 5 yrs & that answer may change -but not if I have anything to say about it.

I'm also a single mother -so go ahead- judge.

My nieces are 13, 8 & 6 & they're also great kids.

They're in lots of activities such as sports or clubs.

I've never heard them curse & the biggest problems my sister complains about is them whinning about chores but they still do them.. never gotten in trouble in school besides you're typical "I'm not suzies friend anymore..... " then the following week they're BFF.

It's all about how you raise your child.

I'm curious as to what made you think to ask this question..

Anything specifically?

For the record I was a late bloomer... I played with dolls until I was in the 5th grade & then I slowly stopped, because I got tired of being made fun of, but secretly still played with them until I was about 12 LOL ... I didn't have my 1st pek kiss until I was about 19 or 20 (well out of high school), got married & lost my virginity at 22 ...

I mean I started late on stuff (I'm 28 now) I had strict parents..

And I was a frady-cat.. I still am!