My daughter is 8 years old and boys already asking for her number - the norm these days??

[perceptionreality]

She doesn't have a mobile because I think 8 is too young!!

I thought I'd have a few years before this happened. Luckily she goes to a girls school! - this happens when she goes to activity groups etc.

Is it me or do children seem under pressure to grow up quickly?

I agree with you on the mobile!! As far as pressure and children growing up too quickly I would tend to say yes there does seem to be an enormous and scary amount of pressure out there. Way more than there was when I was a kid. My daughter has boys at school who like her and want to go 'out' with her. She is 9. DH is not one bit happy about it, but I don't stress about it. My daughter is an age appropriate 9. She is not 9 trying to be 14. What her and her friends are experiencing is the 'going out' that I experienced. The one where you actually really never talk to the boy much after you start 'going out', so I can live with that. I always stress to my daughter that her childhood is so much shorter than her adulthood and to enjoy every minute of it. I talk to my daughter regularly about all sorts to keep the dialogue going so when she really starts going through this stuff we already have a good foundation to build from. I think my first 'boyfriend' was aged nine. We spoke on the phone once and then never talked again in school or otherwise! I also had a friends cousin ask for my number aged nine. He called me once and we spoke for about 10 minutes and we never spoke again. I am sure it is probably pretty innocent. Sadly for some young kids today it is not as evidence from our very grown up neighbour girl who I was shocked to find out the other day she was actually only 10. The way she looks and behaves I would have pegged her easily for 14 which is scary and such a pity.

Cheers,
Mia