Every parent reaches the point in their kid’s life when they realize they are growing up too quickly. This feeling can get even scarier these days when it seems like tweens (ages 8 to 12) are acting more like teens.
Alexis, a mother and speech-language pathologist, recently called out this trend in a viral TikTok video that has received over 300,000 views. In the video, Alexis says parents should push back at their kids having “adult” interests at a young age and that tweens should be playing with toys.
“As a mom and school SLP, I am unsure when third, fourth, and fifth grade became sixth, seventh, and eighth grade,” she says. “But rest assured, your 8-year-old should still be playing with toys. It’s okay. And as parents, we should be encouraging them to play with toys. Stop forcing these kids to grow up so quickly,” she continues.
@practicallyspeeching There are going to be some pissed off parents in the comments, I’m sure lol #slp #slptok #teachertok #teachersoftiktok #parenttok #parentsoftiktok #elementaryschool
Just one look at Glamour’s “Best Gifts for Tweens Who Have Everything” holiday list explains everything. It suggests that young girls want Stanley Quencher cups, skincare products and manicure kits instead of American Girl dolls.
Alexis understands that we live in a new world ruled by smartphones and influencer culture, but that doesn’t mean tweens have to pay the price by losing their innocence.
“And I realize that kindergarten is now the new second grade, and that’s a whole other ball of wax, but we need to be playing. You don’t need to be acting 12 when you are 9,” she concluded.