The innocence of kids


I have been really struggling lately in knowing what will be the right time to talk with our 8 year old daughter about sex and "girl stuff". My battle is with my view on her innocence and the children who are growing up too soon. When I was 8, I loved Barbies, dolls and stuffed animals. I had no idea what "grown-ups" did and had no desire to. I wore my hair in pig tails, wore My Little Pony shirts and took my Cabbage patch doll to school.
I have been watching my daughter and already she is slowly separating from her childhood toys. On Halloween, she dressed up in a Pegasus Barbie costume and several little girls made fun of her because of it. I was heartbroken for her. She was afraid to tell other kids what she was for fear they might have the same reaction. I see more and more kids rejecting "kid stuff" and being exposed to all sorts of things young teens should not even play with or view. I see the struggle my children deal with as they are forced to lay aside their favorite toys because a little boy down the street said it was for babies.
I really think the kids are just innocent victims in this world that is slowly corrupting children at a younger and younger age. And sadly, it is not just the world but their parents as well. I'm not just talking about the children who live with druggie parents or in abusive homes, I am speaking of parents who take good care of their kids, love them and yet expose them to movies that are meant for 13 yr olds or worse even 18 yr olds, TV shows and video games that are filled with violence, hatred and sexually explicit themes. These children have their minds filled with things that are not meant for them and they are not allowed to live and think in the innocence God created them with.
I sat in the movie theatre a few months ago and watch a movie rated PG13. It was a great movie, but had some pretty scary things in it. In front of us, a father and two twin boys who could not have been over 4 yrs old were viewing the same movie. It made my stomach turn. What are adults thinking when they take their little ones to these type of things? Why can't they let kids bask in their youth. Play with Thomas the Tank Engine and not think they are too old at six yrs old. Pretend to be princess Barbie who rides a magical Pegasus. Run and play without pretending to find dead bodies, or some other ghastly thing.

Just to be innocent.