12 Going On 24
I’ve seen this a lot in my beautiful, natural, wealthy county. At many a middle school graduation, some 11-year-old girls look… 11. They get to be little girls. And others stroll languidly across the stage, in sophisticated dresses, perfect hair, and the best accessory of all, that all-knowing, bored attitude. At dinner the other night, in one of our local upscale restaurants, I couldn’t take my eyes off a little girl, 12, tops. Probably 5′8″, three-inch pumps, the perfect flowered spring dress, sleek pony tail, upright posture, not an ounce of fat on her. She’d stop pointedly, on her trips to and from the ladies room, to thumb her iPhone, with complete self-awareness. I fear for her and her friends. If you’re not fully aware of what girls are up to and up against, take a look at this series: http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisinggirls/girlslife/ You’ve been there, and you know you can have an impact on the girls in your life before they start turning into perfect little zombies. When you were growing up, it was much easier to be a girl. It’s scary out there now. On every socioeconomic level. Really scary.