She is decked out in her pink and green Juicy Couture tracksuit with the tagline “Juicy”… She is decked out in her pink and green Juicy Couture tracksuit with the tagline “Juicy” sprawled on her backside. She has her matching Coach handbag with embroidered flowers stitched to the front that accent the color of her fully made-up face, complete with the latest MAC lip gloss, rouge and eye shadow. Last, but not least, she has her cell phone glued to the side of her face as she walks down Forbes Avenue chatting it up with her girlfriends.

No, I’m not talking about the most fashionable coed on Pitt’s campus; I’m talking about all of those pre-teens around these days, the ones with their parents’ credit cards and full-grown style.

It may sound unbelievable, but I actually know some children, even some infants, that have better wardrobes than most grown-ups. It seems that kids are getting into the fast-paced adult world earlier than ever. They are getting younger and younger, but their tastes and latest acquisitions are becoming more and more sophisticated.

Walking through the mall, you see tons of little boys and girls imitating Mommy and Daddy and shopping in their favorite stores for the latest trends. Abercrombie ‘ Fitch have seized this opportunity and opened abercrombie, a store for those pre-teen shoppers that can’t quite fit into the already-small clothes at their sister store.

Another one of these stores that caters to pre-teen girls trying to look more mature is Limited Too, my 11-year-old sister’s favorite store.

Never before have I seen my sister so interested in clothes and trends. I guess it all comes with growing up, but I remember being 11, and the most important thing to me was wondering when I was going to be able to go out and play, not which outfit I was going to wear to play.

Then, my little sister asked my parents if she could have a cell phone. I was vehemently against the whole thing. What does a little kid need with a cell phone? Her response: All of her friends have one. Of course, after months of pestering, outbursts and fits of crying, my parents relented and my 11-year-old sister got her first cell.

After the whole cell phone debacle, it dawned on me that instead of a sweet little girl, my sister was turning into me, a twentysomething woman. She’s developed a style and attitude to rival some adults. Occasionally, I have to remind her that she’s just a kid, and that instead of focusing on her apparel or her hair all the time, she should hang out, have fun and go play jump rope or something.

With all of these things happening around me, the question of why kids are growing up so fast is an inevitable one. Children do as they see, not what they’re told. Once they get a glimpse of Hilary Duff – someone they’ve seen transform from “Lizzie McGuire” into a young adult – donning the latest fashions and walking the red carpet with her cell phone in tow, they want to imitate her because they think that the way she acts is they way they should act.

Another thing that must be addressed is the parents. Without them, these kids would never have enough money to spend on all of these clothes and accessories. What do they think is appropriate for their children to be wearing? I know it’s cute to dress up your child to mirror your image, but what kind of message are you sending them when what you consider cute, some may consider too revealing?

It all comes down to letting children be just that: children. Let them play in street clothes and let them get dirty. They’re going to face enough perils of adulthood when they reach certain ages – why make them into adults at such an early age?

Jennifer would like to hear your thoughts on kids behaving like adults or adults behaving like kids. E-mail her at [email protected].