Society for the Protection of Childhood needed?

See here for part one. (Thanks, Shifra!)

Girls

Secular division:

In this post of mine, I discuss twelve-year-old girls (and their parents) who think it's perfectly fine to show a little cleavage. Beyond the obvious tzniut (modesty) issue, what's so age-appropriate about a twelve-year-old girl dressing as an adult?

Jewish division:

Shifra's post (and especially RaggedyMom's second comment) speaks of girls as young as four years old (and their parents) under pressure to wear only skirts, as if it's forbidden for girls to be children and hang upside from playground equipment once they're old enough to be out of diapers.

Boys

Secular division:

Okay, call me a bit informal, but for the life of me, I've never understood the necessity of putting a six-year-old in a full suit for just about any reason other than a relative's wedding.

Jewish division:

Now add a black hat to an elementary-school-boy's full suit, and tell me that that's normal clothing for a boy of that age.

Both

Secular division:

This post was inspired by a 10-year-old who mentioned that she was studying for an algebra test. Please excuse my husband and me for being so horribly backward, but neither of us ever saw the inside of an algebra book until we were 14 1/2 years old and in ninth grade.

Jewish division:

I've seen repeated complaints voiced in blog posts and newspaper articles that Gemorrah is being taught to children who are barely old enough to understand the Chumash and/or (in the case of non-Israelis) to be fluent in Hebrew.


What's the rush? Why aren't children allowed to be children anymore?