- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 0
- 0
-
Sparkle (0)
Do you ever stop and think about all the ways our children's lives are different than our own childhood? Don't you think it's weird that our kids will probably never own a land line telephone and they will probably never choose to write in cursive? Every year Beloit college publishes a "Mindset List" for incoming college freshman about how they see the world. Here are some of the weirder highlights:
(taken from the Beloit College Mindset List for 2010)
- Most students entering college for the first time this fall—the Class of 2014—were born in 1992.
- They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.
- Czechoslovakia has never existed.
- The first home computer they probably touched was an Apple II or Mac II; they are now in a museum.
- Beethoven has always been a good name for a dog.
- They’ve never recognized that pointing to their wrists was a request for the time of day.
You can see the full list here.
That's all fine and good, but what about the environmental impacts that are happening to our kids that aren't necessarily good? Or even down right bad? I am not a big worrier about a lot of environmental stuff. Yep, we still use paper plates, and plastic bags from Target, and we still sometimes drink out of plastic water bottles. But, what if there are issues in our environment that are actually making our kids change? How about the fact that there are now studies that show that environmental impacts such as eating too many hormone-laden foods such as meat and poultry and milk are causing children to hit puberty at an earlier age? Or, using non-BPA free water bottles and plastic containers is doing the same thing? Kids are developing earlier and earlier and their moods are resembling teenagers earlier and earlier in life. And, yes, part of it is evolution but part of it is our environment. There is even a term for it: Precocious Puberty. Precocious Puberty simply refers to when a child's body starts to process through puberty at an earlier age (before they are 8 or 9). They may notice some underarm hair, underarm odor, pubic hair, or even body development. Most researchers think it happens for multiple reasons: heredity, a rare but possible tumor, or it could just occor without any other issues. There are some treatments including medication but it varies based on the severity and needs of the child. However, one of the issues that researchers are looking more closely at is environment: their lifestyle, their weight/height measurements, and their dietary habits. Eating too many processed foods with loads of chemicals and hormones, drinking water in plastic bottles (or eating out of plastic containers a lot) or being exposed to other chemicals and products that aren't "natural" is shown to be a factor. How big a factor is not known, but it's logical that it could be a bigger factor now than it was 10 years ago even. Interesting? Scary? Yep.
I am keenly interested in this topic for a few reasons. I am trying to cut out all the processed foods and plastic surroundings that my family eats and is exposed to. I am trying to make a conscious effort in reusing more and not using as much plastic crap. Also, and this is the real reason: Kaitlyn. She is starting to develop some of these symptoms. Albeit very mildly and rather unnoticeable to anyone but her parents and her. We've seen her pediatrician and will see an endocrinologist this fall to get further information. But for now, we are dealing with it on our own with simple solutions. She's going to be 7 in just a few weeks so I am concerned but not overly concerned. Her weight is perfectly normal and she is active enough and she doesn't live on a diet of processed crap and sugar (thankfully). Could she eat more fruits and veggies? Yes. We're working on it. I am not worried about her diet or activity so much as I am worried about how the environment around her will impact her and her body.
We live in such a weird world full of plastic and chemicals and hormones and additives and synthetic this and synthetic that. It's no wonder our kids are changing in ways we didn't and earlier or whatnot. I am sure some of this is just normal evolution but still. When it impacts you or
