subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Nov 07 2009 
Breaking News:  District 10 Scoreboard — Week 10  November 06, 2009 09:12 pm

Resources

print this story   Print this story
  Post to del.icio.us

Published March 18, 2009 08:50 pm -

Skin deep culture: scary for kids/moms



By LEANNE ITALIE

Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — My 9-year-old daughter looks older than she is. Always has. Kids and — worse — grown-ups who should know better comment on it all the time.

"Look how big her feet are," they observe, right in front of her.

It's all good, we tell her, humankind comes in many shapes and sizes. "Some kids just grow early."

Usually she smiles and goes back to hula-hooping, her stuffed animals, Mary Poppins, whatever 9-year-old kid thing she's happily doing. We never worried too much, until a few things recently set me fretting the toll of our skin-deep, sped up culture and discreetly searching my baby's body for nonexistent signs of puberty.

It began with a trip to the hair salon. She had grown her silky black hair down her back so she could donate a fat ponytail to an organization that makes wigs for sick kids. It had taken years to get her hair just right for a neat bob after the big snip, and I promised a trip to a fancy place to get the job done.

After her cascade of hair was gone, a pro with a blow dryer boofed her head to perfection and my 9-year-old went from looking 12-ish to looking 15-ish.

A few days later she got her ears pierced, adding another year. That's when panic took over, compounded by the first blogger in her fourth-grade class emerging to stress on a range of subjects, including a zit on her neck, getting into college — and having enough money to pay for it.

So if 13 is the new 18, then what's 9? And what can parents, especially those of girls, do to temper culture's pressure to grow up way too fast?

Susan Bartell, a psychologist and author of the self-esteem building "Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide: The Easy, Fun Way to Look and Feel Good," suggests parents not back away from the challenge, for starters.

"We have to say to our kids, 'You know, this show that you're watching or this store window are showing outfits and things that are not real life,'" she said. "'And even in real life, just because other parents allow things, I'm not going to allow it.' It's OK to fight battles with your kids. This is absolutely a battle worth fighting."

But first, Bartell said, some parents need to check their own motivations.

"Some dads and moms don't agree with the concept of keeping their girls young," she said. "They think it's cool that they're growing up very, very quickly. Many mothers want their girls to look older. They might have been overweight or nerdy kids themselves. Sometimes even when the girls don't want to their mothers are putting them in the trendy clothes and cropped tops. That's difficult."



print this story    email this story   
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.






autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Instructor for Practical Nursing Education Program for Mercer County Career Center
instructor for Practical Nursing Education Program. Full-time position. Candidate must be a graduate of an approved...>MORE

Foster Families
Loving families needed! FCCY needs caring foster families for children who can no longer live at home. Call 800-747-38...>MORE

CNC Mill Programmer/Operator for Talbar
Immediate openings for 2nd or 3rd shift. Experienced
CNC Mill Programmer/Operator
with a minimum of 15 year
...>MORE

Case Manager for St. Benedict Education Center
Case Manager

Saint Benedict Education Center (SBEC) is accepting resumes for a full time case manager in Mead
...>MORE

Projectionist for The Movies
The Movies at Meadville is in search of a Part- time
Projectionist. 
This person must be detail oriented, ob
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Photos

See all ads

Premium Real Estate

2BR home in Vernon
Vernon: 2 BR avail. now $450+util+sec. No pets, Full basement (814)336-3140 bet. 7:30a-4:30p M-F or 332-5065 anytime...>MORE

Conneaut Lake 2BR apt.
Conn. LAKE Newly remodeled 2BR 1st flr., appl. No pets $575 incl. all util Ref + Sec. 814-382-7468...>MORE

Cochranton 3BR house for rent
Cochranton: clean, comfy 3BR $500 incl. some util. 425-8284 anytime 425-8257 after 8PM...>MORE

CONN. LAKE Newly remodeled 2BR 1st flr
conn. LAKE Newly remodeled 2BR 1st flr., appl. No pets $575 incl. all util Ref + Sec. 814-382-7468...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Promos: Check It Out!

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index