Often, we're so busy raising our kids, while trying to keep our heads above the water, that we hardly notice them growing. We replace their clothing or shoes when they no longer fit but it doesn't occur to us that one day, sooner than we think, they'll grow to full size.
Another recent social media trend saw moms and dads reminiscing on the days they used to be able to pick up and carry their children. The point? We so often remember the firsts (first word, first steps, first tooth) but we don't mark the lasts. Those just happen, and then they're gone... The last time they wore a diaper, the last time they crawled, the last time they asked for help tying their shoelaces.
Many believe that kids are growing up faster than they did in the past. Not in the physical sense, but more in terms of how savvy they are. There's even a term for it: "Kids Getting Older Younger" or "KGOY."
Bandied about in the marketing world, the idea of KGOY posits that kids nowadays have greater brand awareness, and therefore, they are the ones that companies should target when it comes to advertising - not the parents.
"The theory has been around since the noughties, and ever since, experts have attempted to prove out the early demise of childhood by pointing to causes ranging from the age at which they get a smartphone, to the fact that kids are now watching more adult television programmes, to the problem of teenage girls being pressured to think about their appearance due to greater exposure to beauty ideals on social media," explains the BBC.
Some argue that "growing up" is a social construct and that the idea of childhood (and when it ends) differs from place to place and culture to culture. Therefore, they say, kids are not actually growing up faster.
“The basic stages of children’s development aren’t changing,” explains Shelley Pasnik, senior vice president and director of New York's Center for Children and Technology. “The external world is constantly shifting, but children’s cognitive and emotional milestones stay the same."
Yet many parents do think their children grow up so fast. "The days are long but the years are short," they lament. And while we cannot stop or slow down time, we can make the most of the current moments so that we have more memories later.
One way to do this is to be present. Put your phone down, have a conversation with your child. Play a game together or just marvel at their little hands and feet.
"It will be a shame if, when our kids are grown, we realize we’ve spent more of our free time looking at screens than their faces," writes Abby Watts for iMom, the mothering program of the non-profit organization Family First.
