Growing Up Fast

Today's pace for the grandparent is mind-boggling. Surely, it would have been the same for my grandparents had they been around. When we hear "life-in-the-fast-lane" little mind is paid to it, but if most certainly belongs to the last two generations.

About 6 weeks ago my daughter and her three girls, 13, 11, 6, enjoyed an excellent meal in a white-table restaurant. The kids manner and behavior were par excellence. The big shocker was that the 11 year old was scheduled to go to California for 3 weeks on her own visiting cousins, nieces,  nephews, and friends with a sleep plans, et al, for the whole trip. My wife and I found this amazing and shocking. Only because we are in our late 70's.

Mother and daughter talked about this as if it were no big deal...but I must opine that their Dad needed some prodding to bring him into the fold. The eldest will certainly use this example when the time is right to her own end. The three weeks in the country's craziest city, Los Angeles, and an 11 rear old is socializing on her own. Supervised of course by other mom's and sisters. The trip went off without a hitch and at the blink of an eye she was home on starting her studies. All three of the girls are home schooled and advanced way beyond their years.

The gut take on this has to be that things are moving faster and faster. All three are developing naturally, just incomprehensibly fast. Lord help whomever they date and end up in a relationship with soon...finding a mate seems to be near to impossible IMO. Dad's got his hands full with the 13 year old already. Last time I heard there will be no unsupervised dating until they are 18. I swear you have never heard such bellowing from the 11 and 13 year old. Talk about losing your freedom! Dad's doing his best to slow down one part of the growing up too fast.
The end.