Sad that childhood seems to be so short these days

[rdlong]

I just had a baby earlier this year and so I don't have this problem yet but speaking to friends and family with older children it seems like childhood now ends at about 7 years old!

Everyone is buying gifts at the moment and after 7 or even 6 years old in some cases onwards toys seem to be a thing of the past, the kids are no longer interested and they want things like ipads, iphones, gaming consoles, fancy trainers, expensive clothes, perfume, aftershave, skincare, make up, hair styling gadets, led lights for their bedroom, fancy bluetooth headphones and the like. I even heard of one 10 year old boy who is getting a record player as he wants to "get into collecting vinyl"! I was going to get my niece who is 9 a couple of books as part of her Christmas as she used to like reading but she has explicitly asked not to get books as she doesn't like how they clutter her minimalist bedroom, ditto for art supplies and craft sets, she wants people to buy her skincare, make up and jewellery from her wish list instead, she is 9!

At 9 I was starting to enjoy music and did get a small CD player but I also still was getting a few toys, as well as lots of books and lots of art materials and crafty things, puzzles and games, I was still a child at that age and I was well into my teens before I started getting anything like perfume or make up as gifts.

I just think its sad that childhood seems to be so short these days, like they go from being infants then have a year or two of childhood before they are tweenagers at 7 or 8. I know my niece watches loads of tiktok and I think she aspires to be like the older girls and young women she sees online she and her friends spend hours filming tiktoks which they don't post publicly but she is just dying to be a tiktoker.

I find it really insidious the influence devices can have, I know not every child gets to use them but so many do and even if they don't they are still exposed to the influence of social media through their peers that do have access and it means that kids who do still want toys, books or art stuff end up being laughed at if they don't have the latest teenage must have.

My friend has spent an absolute fortune on toys for her 5 year old son because its the last year he'll really appreciate them.

It makes me so sad for my own little one who I'd like to have a childhood that lasts till at least 11 or 12 and doesn't feel the need to be a teenager until they are actually a teen!

I had the Sephora request but I gave it bombastic side eye

I see rhe record player as a good thing.
Neither of my daughters are into trainers, they wouldn't know a brand of the at all.
Neither into makeup up, older occasionally use the basics, very rarely. 11 year old still likes slime and stuff like that.
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PaperDoIIs
It isn't Schroedinger's skincare though.

It's a logical position for someone to not want their primary school aged children falling prey to advertising and influencing for skincare regimes, the it moisturiser, the right serum etc because they're children. That doesn't mean a parent wouldn't provide their child with appropriate skin care for their health needs.

If a child needs skin care for their skin (eg acne, psoriasis, eczema, persistent dry skin) then that's a health need. Many people, me included, would not consider buying our children's health and medical supplies a Christmas present.

The phenomenon exists, but it's definitely not universal. My son is 8.5 and his Christmas list consists of toys, books and Pokemon cards. He sleeps with his teddies and adores them. He doesn't care about brands and doesn't know what Tik tok is. As far as I can tell, his closest friends (aged 7-10) are similar.

On the other hand, interest in record players and the like are imo not a sign of growing up too fast. I remember the excitement of using my grandma's typewriter as a little girl and my son loves the clock he inherited from his great-grandfather! I also had a camera at that age and so does my son, but he doesn't have a phone or ipad. His school encourages parents not to buy phones for children until they go to secondary (age 12-13 here).

perhaps don’t let your young kids watch tic tok.

My 11 year old want Japanese kawaii stuff. Still into toys and crafting. Doesn’t watch tik tok.

My DS is just 7 and mainly circled toys in his Smyths catalogue.
However, he isn't getting a load of toys this year because he has so many from previous years. Hot wheel toys, pokemon toys, lego etc last years and take up space. Seems daft to get rid of existing toys to replace with more or less the same thing and we don't have room to simply add to it.

He is getting more sporty things this year because this is what he's currently into. Football goal posts, training belts, new football boots etc.

Yes he does have a switch and will be getting a new game for it.

Many kids don't want toys because they already have toys and they want something new.