No Kidding!

This morning when I checked my regular news websites, I woke to some of the most disturbing news I've read in quite a while. It seems a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics has found that it isn't considered unusual for girls to begin hitting puberty as young as 7 or 8 years old.

No, that is not a typo. Seven or eight years old....the same age most kids are discovering Barbie and learning to ride a bike.

While it hasn't been definitively established exactly why girls are "developing" so much earlier nowadays, some scientists speculate that it may have to do with exposure to chemicals in plastics (such as BPA), that mimic estrogen. Others expressed concern over diet and perhaps hormones in meat and dairy products being a culprit. Some feel that the obesity epidemic is to blame.

Early onset of puberty is troubling for other reasons as well. Several studies have linked it with an increased risk of breast cancer. Many girls who develop earlier than their peers run a higher risk of self-esteem issues linked to negative body issues. In the past, puberty was considered "normal" around age 11 or 12.

The idea that my almost-six-year-old could get her period in the next year or two is more than startling to me. Something is inherently wrong with that. I mean, she has not even learned how to read yet and still often needs help wiping #2 when she uses the bathroom. Somehow I doubt that adding tampons and sanitary napkins to the mix will make things easier. And I really had hoped that she'd be out of the little kids clothing section by the time we had to go bra shopping! Not to mention the new reality show potential when kids under age 10 start having babies themselves. Perish the thought!

A few years ago, a good friend who is the mother of only boys, noticed that her oldest was starting to develop what looked suspiciously like breasts when he was in the first grade. She took him to the pediatrician who asked her how much milk he drank and suggested that she go "organic" to help combat the issue. She was shocked as she was a person who had never really bought into the whole "green" lifestyle.

While we can't entirely eliminate environmental threats, I've worked hard to do what I can to go mostly organic in our home and use only glass or BPA/Phthalate-free plastics. We avoid buying products containing parabens as preservative as they've also been shown to be hormone disruptors. Though my daughter whines and complains, I won't let her use regular play-makeup or nail polishes, opting instead for non-toxic varieties like Piggy Paint. But when we're out, at school or at a friends house, all bets are off.

Without going overboard, I do feel it's getting harder and harder to protect our kids from things that our parents just never even thought twice about. I doubt my mom even thought she had any control over when her children hit puberty and figured it just "happened when it happened." Now, as with many other things, we know that our lifestyles and daily choices can have a major impact on our health and on our growing bodies.

Perhaps new studies will emerge refuting this one, or adding other concerns to the mix. With so many unanswered questions, I'll continue to be do what I can to ensure that my kids remain kids as long as they can -- and should.