Too much too young? (From News Shopper)

Too much too young?

10:44am Sunday 31st October 2010

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For how long have I been this mature? I’ve just watched live coverage from the House of Commons in which George Osborne gave an extensive speech, telling us all about our economic future, including the spending cuts that are central to headlines in the newspapers and are the main focus on television news bulletins. I am not stating that most teenagers think Politics is boring but I most definitely found myself watching the parliamentary debate avidly and thought it was intriguing - I know that three to four years ago I would not have enjoyed it half as much, or at all! In fact, I was surprised that I took such an interest at present.

Remembering how different my life is now, at this exact moment in time, in comparison with my younger self is rather daunting and somewhat frightening! Personally, it seems to me that I have zoomed into pre-adulthood without even having noticed my years of being considered a ‘tot’ or had time to think about growing up! Birthdays seem to breeze past each year and sadly I don’t seem to be as chuffed with each milestone I now reach! It makes me wonder, are younger people exposed to subjects such as Politics which when our parents grew up, were subjected more or less to adults only? Additionally, can this be seen as a good thing? Or is this morphing younger people into adults too rapidly? I have noted that when one is young sometimes it can be nice to relish in immature and careless activities, though with so many tools to hand such as computers, televisions, mobile phones it’s challenging to maintain the beautiful naivety that babies and toddlers alike have. By contrast, I do feel glad that I now do not have to struggle to comprehend adult conversations like I did when I was younger and that as I grow older, I can appreciate how privileged I am to even be able to access current affairs with ease and understanding.