to think no actually, kids don't grow up quicker now?

[munemema]

I hear this a lot, usually about sexualised behaviour or stropiness!

I agree they get exposed to adult material earlier but they don't "grow up".

My father was working fulltime at 14yo and had an apprentice working for him by the time he was 16yo.

My grandfather was supporting his widowed mother and disabled sister by the time he was 15yo

My Grandmother worked in service from 14yo.

My 16 & 18 yo think staying in bed until lunchtime is perfectly reasonable (although they do have PT jobs) and have no idea what it is to feel insecurity or responsibility of any sort. That's my fault but I don't think it's unusual? It's probably a good thing really and I wouldn't want the life I describe about for me DC (or me) but they certainly haven't "grown up" earlier than previous generations.

If your kids have never had experience of insecurity please share the secret!

No the kind of insecurity that comes from being responsible for the family's rent and food.

I agree, I think it is much more fun to stay a child for longer in most family's.
DD and her pals aged 11 are far more immature and protected then me and my friends were at their age.
Kids years ago were to be seen not heard, you couldn't wait to be a grown up to feel important.
My DC have had insecurities, it is part of learning.

My dc don’t have much stress on their life. I think school places a lot more pressure on them compared to when I was there, but at home there is very little stress placed on them. Dd is 13 and for the second day this week didn’t get up till lunchtime.

I think it probably depends on the family though. I guess In some families, there is high levels of stress for the children though, some children are careers for their ill parents and still trying to get an education which places unimaginable strain on them and will cause them to grow up very quickly. If you are struggling for money that is bound to have some effect on your dc, who are going to school hungry and cold and get to know the harsh realities of the world and how widespread poverty is.
I think I just depends so much on your circumstances and my children are lucky that they are enjoying a childhood with little stress in it. Im sure there are children in their year groups who aren’t having that kind of lifestyle though.

depends what you mean by "growing-up". Having to work to pay rent/provide for family - no they don't. Being interested in sex and stuff - way too early.

I think they want to grow into teenagers faster, and then stop at around 16/18 and stay at that age.

I agree OP. DS is getting married at 23 and everybody is saying how he’s so young and young people these days seem to be in such a hurry to grow up. I look back at all of my grandparents/great aunts etc who were married by 20...

Gosh i'd say the opposite - kids are younger for longer these days IMO.

The little one's experience of social media has to be monitored so that they aren't exposed to harmful content, and that's a new thing, but that's a safegaurding issue which is out of their hands. However in general i feel the late teens/early 20 somethings seem to have slightly lower expectations of them then i had when i was that age.

It's complicated. It's a different world now.

(i have 3 young 20 somethings - i love them, not judging)

I'm v early 20s and don't feel like an adult in some ways so I agree with you. I'm a mature one for my age, though! It surprises me how little people my age can do for themselves

Ah yes, Cheeseheaven. I was married with a mortgage at 22 and my mother was the same with a child at the same age. Neither was considered particularly young at the time.

I think adolescence now is a much longer, looser concept.

I have mentioned this before on here but I had my first baby sitting job aged 9 and my niece has never played out by herself at the same age.

Working with teenagers I find they are very quick to become teenagers, sex, smoking, relationships, drama, big ideas etc but really slow to then become adults driving, work, responsibility, standing on their own feet (mentallyrather than relying on parents)

My grandmother and mother left school at 14 and 15 and married at 18 and 21 and so in some respects grew up more quickly but they also had their lives controlled more especially by their fathers.
My nan in particular said that she didn't know much about " the ways of the world."

To add to that I see a lot of parents don't help and will often moddy coddle for too long. Ie 10 years difference between husband and SIL. When he was in 6th form he was left to do and sort it all out, revise, look at unis etc SIL she's almost in her third year of uni and they are still helping her revise and apply for jobs etc.

I think when people say they grow up faster they talking mostly about sexualisation. And I would 100% agree with that. There's all sorts of reasons why this has happened which I won't dive into because that would be a whole new thread.

But I agree with you that overall they grow up slower and get to be kids for longer. They have less responsibility and pressure. I don't think it's objectively better or worse than the way that we were brought up. Just different. Every generation faces it's own challenges and we can never truly understand them because we don't know what it's like to be young now. They will be the same when they have their own kids.