tween – A child between middle childhood and adolescence, usually between 8 and 12 years old.
NOW my definition – A creation of consumer focused advertisers, seeking to expand their teen girl spending high. Teen girls consume a lot, so why not treat girls who are younger like teens sooner so they will spend like their elders?!
For definitions resembling mine look at these links:
My beef – These kids are still KIDS! Why rush them out of an already too short childhood? Boys and girls alike, their innocence is INDEED threatened by the consumer mind set that is at the core of the tween trend. Once made a commercial commodity they are under threat from the most successful advertising campaign style to date; and that is SEX. Most of the STUFF aimed at tweens are indeed focused around sex; to look older, sexier or meant to produce a type of lust in their young little hearts (ex: the lust craze after young pop stars)
This is my rant, agree or not, but I am wearing my heart on my sleeve because I have seen this pinch put on kids (especially girls) as early as in grade one! By the time they reach grade four, if the parents aren’t letting them embrace this trend then the parents are classed as strict and over the top.
Do I feel the pressure? Yes, but not in any way to give into this tween crap…. I feel the pressure to educate my children in defence against this stuff, to pray protection over their precious hearts and demand others let them be themselves, let them BE CHILDREN!
I mostly feel disappointed in my own culture, sad for the children swallowed up in this and amazed that it is seen as harmless. I’m tired of it already.
TTFN
Amen and Amen to this. Well written and so true. MOM
At times I am tempted (and have) to call my son a tween simply because he is sporting some attitudes that are regularly associated with trying to be a teenager- roller-coaster emotions, working through some of the stuff between little boy and young man- competition, possessions, skill, intellect, spiritual struggles- feeling all of these grown up feelings while still having the world view of a boy. A tween doesn’t have to have the connotation you refer to, especially if you are using it with people who know and understand your own children 🙂
(at the same time, I understand your frustration with the push to mature prematurely- it’s even difficult to find graphic novels for my 9 year old to read that do not showcase immodestly drawn women)
I get your comment and just for clarity I am basing my write up on influences others are putting in front of my kids and wasn’t including my childrens personal behavioral differences in the article topic really.