What lies ahead: being a kid now is scary

Admittedly, I have mixed feelings as each day passes and I watch my children grow.

One part of me, of course, loves watching them grow and blossom into themselves.

Another part of me misses the baby snuggles and tiny coos.

Mostly though, I miss the safety that infancy provides from the rest of the world because I'm slightly terrified of what the rest of the world has become or is becoming.

Although I fear for my boy, I fear more for my girl. Because girls are catty and brutal and demoralizing and hold grudges for eternity. Because its become normal for 4 year olds to play with whore dolls and 6 year old to dress like prostitutes. 8 year old are kissing while 10 year olds are judging each other on their sex appeal and body fat. 12 year olds are dieting and 14 year old are having sex. 16 year olds are bullying others so terribly they feel suicide is their only escape.

And everyone is saying, "Oh, not my daughter!" But yes, it's likely your daughter. And that's terrifying.

Because it could be my daughter too, some day. And I don't want a world where these things are normal for her.

Because it certainly didn't seem this brutal even 10 years ago when I was a young teenager, so how much worse can it get in 10 more years?

And it's not just girls, obviously.

Chivalry is lost on boys today. They think sex is something that can forcefully be taken because a girl is drunk or kissed him or wore a short skirt. Their respect for women, and themselves, is often non-existent.

All of these kids are entitled. They purposefully break iPhones so they will receive the newest version. They wear $200 jeans and never say "thank you" for the meal put on the table for them.

So yes, I have mixed emotions about my children growing up.

"Just do your best" people say. "Teach them to know and do better."

Obviously that's the plan, but these are things they should never even have to deal with.

I played with dolls when I was 4, and even 12, but they didn't wear lingerie. I thought boys had cooties at 8, and 18, kissing them wasn't really on my mind. (Okay, not really at 18, but at 17...). At 14 the idea of sex was disturbing to me. At 16, I didn't realize bullying existed outside of the TV shows where kids stole the lunch money from other kids. All of this and I was not a sheltered kid. Not even a little bit.

What has happened in our culture in the past decade to make all of this acceptable? What has changed?

Because, dudes, it just seems to get worse everyday to be a kid, and that is so not the goal.

I wish I knew the solution, that's for sure. But I don't. I can only hope that showing my children love and compassion, teaching them that might does not equal right, modeling kind words and anger control, and doing my best to help them learn empathy and forgiveness does even a shred of good in preparing them for what lies ahead.