"Tween" Talk: What I should have been able to guess! (11/26)

Friday was the last day of classes. Yep. We have two weeks of final exams, but classes are over. After exams, teachers hang around for clean up and I don't know what else. But I have been reflecting on the year (already) and one of the thoughts that amazes me was how these little fourth graders want to be grown up. There are "teenager-wannabes." The music, boyfriends/girlfriends, the groups, the pressure, the clothing, the dancing, the need for cellphones and ipods. It just seems so inappropriate for a 9- and 10-year-old. I have been blown away at times. I thought at first it was something cultural, but I think that even Chileans feel th same. The innocence is gone too soon. I was reading up on some news when I found these websites, an article about how "tweens" are acting more and more like teenagers and tips on parenting these "tweens." I am afraid that I am not feeling much better after reading them though.