Slow down little girl, Be still!

My little girl is growing up!  She is truly a 16 year old in a 5 year old body.  That is her favorite age...16.  When she plays pretend, or when she plays with dolls, or when she talks about her future, the magic age is always 16.  Honestly it makes me cringe inside every time she says it!  She thinks she can handle anything a 16 year old can handle and wants to experience those things at the ripe old age of 5.  It is my responsibility as her mom to show her she is just not ready for those things yet. 
   
I am a big proponent of age appropriate exposure.  I firmly believe that a child should experience life in this world in ways that are appropriate for their age.  That means no TV shows or movies for my 5 year old and 4 year old that are meant for an 8 or 10 year old.  And they are just not ready for video games that are rated M for Mature or music that has subject matter they are not capable of understanding.  They need to be shielded and protected from things that are too much for them to process at such a delicate and young age, while exposed to things that will help them develop cognitive reasoning and coping skills that are appropriate for their developmental needs.  One step at a time, at the right time will help them mature in a responsible and effective way, in my opinion.  

     I think about this often with my daughter as I encourage her not to grow up too fast.  I frequently tell her to enjoy being little and to learn what she needs to know now because the rest will come with time.  This is also what I am hearing from my own heavenly Father.  Stop rushing, slow down and take one step at a time, at the right time, He is telling me.  Now is the time to learn, the time to teach will come.  So, I am learning...from a lot of different resources and many different teachers.  I want to be a sponge, like my little 5 year old girl who has learned to read more than ten words in five reading lessons.  I want to soak up what He is teaching me, like she soaks up new information that is novel and interesting, such as how the Human body works.  Hebrews 5:12-14 says "For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God's utterances.  You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food.  For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil."  While I don't think I need to go completely back to spiritual milk, I do need to take time to slow down and really chew on the solid food set in front of me.  I need to practice and train my perceptions a little more and dig into the message of righteousness in order to grow.  As I said before, I am not the "be still" kind of person, but maybe that is a lesson I am going to learn in this whole maturation process.  It is definitely one I am teaching my daughter!