Growing up too fast

When I was 12 years old, my concerns were pretty simple. What to wear to school the next day, how to get that new boy I was crushing on to like me, remembering to stretch every day before ballet class, and, oh yeah, doing well on my next science test. I went to a small private school, and drugs, alcohol and sex were only things I saw on TV. I don't think I even knew what marijuana smelled like at that point. I had never had a drop of alcohol except for the weekly sip of wine from my parents on Friday nights. As for kissing boys, well, I kept my lips pretty well sealed. My weekends were consumed with going to the movies and having sleepovers.\nToday, this is not the case for many 12 year olds. This year I had the privilege of working with some amazing kids at a summer camp. It was not a summer camp for drug abusers or victims of sexual abuse. It was a plain old regular fresh air camp with lots of kids from warm, loving homes. What was interesting about them is how many had already had experience with drugs, alcohol and sexual activity.\nI was shocked to discover that some had already smoked marijuana several times. Part of my surprise came from the fact that I saw these kids as innocent. I know some of their parents, and I know the schools they go to. I just assumed that they do the same stuff I used to do on the weekends. \nBut I guess it's not like that anymore. According to The Department of Health and Human Services, 8 percent of students in 7th and 8th grade reported using marijuana and 4 percent reported using other illicit drugs. These are 12 and 13 year old kids. They are not even old enough to get a good minimum wage job, and yet they somehow find the resources to buy drugs. Four percent of 7th to 8th grade students report regular alcohol use. One in 16 kids.\nA few girls also found out that one of their mutual friends had started cutting herself and almost committed suicide. Again, this is a 13 year old girl using razor blades to release her pain. I have trouble trying to sort this out, and I am almost 20. Imagine the reaction from a 12 year old. The study from the Department of Health and Human Services also found that 11 percent of 7th to 8th graders have had suicidal thoughts, and 4 percent have attempted to kill themselves.\nThis is stuff they should not have to deal with. Yes, the world is oftentimes an ugly place filled with pain, but they have their whole lives to figure that out. There is a reason why sex offenses against children carry harder punishments. Innocence. It is one thing you have and can never restore. \nBut lets face it, these kids do have a much harder world to grow up in than we did. Maybe by encountering the hard experiences early on, they will be more prepared to deal with them when they grow up.