An article in the Life Section of this mornings USA Today focuses on the tween culture. The newspaper defines tweens as generally from 8 to 12. "The prepubescent children of days gone by have given way to a cooler kid - the tween - who aspire to teenhood but is not quite there yet." Interest in tweens and their culture has increased since we will soon have two living in the White House, Milia is already there and Sasha turns eight in later this year. Tweens are a hot market with their own clothes, music and entertainment, aka Radio Disney.
I have a couple of concerns regarding tweens. Eight and nine year olds still need to be kids. Retail and marketing folks tend to want to treat them like young adults. One shocking results is noted in the article. According to a study done by the journal Preventive Science, use of alcohol doubles between fourth and sixth grade with the biggest jump between fifth and sixth grades. It's no wonder that in many cases major academic issues appear for the first time during the middle school years.
My second concerns is rooted in the fact that children are going through puberty almost a full-year earlier. Yes many tweens already have entered adulthood, at least biologically. That opens them up to a whole new set of feelings and emotions, and to the situations that could go with them.
This raises the stakes for parents. The tween culture is a reality but the extent to which our kids are allowed to emmerse themselves in it should remain with mom and dad. Some ways to control: Restricting the time kids spend at the mall. Listening to their advice when shopping with them but keeping control when making the final decisions. Restricting the number of parties, sleepovers, etc., that they attend in a month.
We need to help kids enjoy the tween years but we also need to help them enjoy their childhood.
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