12 is an awkward age from what I remember about myself and my own children, you're not really a child and not really on the path to adulthood yet either. It's difficult to navigate as a child and as a parent. I remember my daughter at the age of about 10 asking me to buy her a bikini, I said no, that bikinis were for women and that she could start to have the things that belong to women, after she became one and gradually. My daughter's 43 now, but even then before the internet there were things like silky "sexy" nighties for little girls, my daughter wanted them partly because I wore stuff like that, but I wouldn't let her.
Honestly I think parenting is anxiety causing full stop, I'm not sure there was ever a golden age when children were children, I think it only really existed in Enid Blyton books. It also depends on where you grow up, the financial situation of your parents and all sorts of stuff.
It seems odd to think now that people of my parents generation mostly left school at 14 and were in work, the year before I left school it was 15 and my year was 16.
I remember a lot of conflict with my parents about what I was allowed to do or wear, I'm sure if I were a child now I wouldn't be allowed a phone at all, or only a dumb phone that could calls an texts and those would be scrutinised. When phones did come along and were cheaper, I did buy one for my daughter who was 16 at the time, because she was old enough to go out of an evening and I didn't want her walking about unable to call for help if she needed it.
12 is an awkward age from what I remember about myself and my own children, you're not really a child and not really on the path to adulthood yet either. It's difficult to navigate as a child and as a parent. I remember my daughter at the age of about 10 asking me to buy her a bikini, I said no, that bikinis were for women and that she could start to have the things that belong to women, after she became one and gradually. My daughter's 43 now, but even then before the internet there were things like silky "sexy" nighties for little girls, my daughter wanted them partly because I wore stuff like that, but I wouldn't let her.
Honestly I think parenting is anxiety causing full stop, I'm not sure there was ever a golden age when children were children, I think it only really existed in Enid Blyton books. It also depends on where you grow up, the financial situation of your parents and all sorts of stuff.
It seems odd to think now that people of my parents generation mostly left school at 14 and were in work, the year before I left school it was 15 and my year was 16.
I remember a lot of conflict with my parents about what I was allowed to do or wear, I'm sure if I were a child now I wouldn't be allowed a phone at all, or only a dumb phone that could calls an texts and those would be scrutinised. When phones did come along and were cheaper, I did buy one for my daughter who was 16 at the time, because she was old enough to go out of an evening and I didn't want her walking about unable to call for help if she needed it.
