“You better be careful, they grow too fast.” “It couldn't have been my son's 10th birthday; they look like they were two just last year.” “Wow, you can’t have grown six inches since last year.” These are three statements that might occasionally travel through the minds of parents as they raise their children from birth to adulthood. However, these thoughts do not literally mean that their children are growing faster than normal; rather, their children age normally, it just seems like time has passed quickly. What if parents knew that their children were maturing intellectually, socially and physically more rapidly? It is proven that children are more advanced physically, intellectually and socially than in previous decades, even if they are not emotionally advanced compared to other generations. Additionally, children's lives seem more challenging and parents push their children to be the best. These developmental advances, a tight family schedule, and parental drive to have a successful child are all growing trends of today's society and generations. Early maturity of physical development in children can be divided into two categories: early advancement of motor skills and early puberty. A child's fine and gross motor skills can be honed thanks to the growing popularity of youth athletics and physical health programs. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals state that “sport has the natural ability to tap into, develop and showcase individual strengths and abilities”. It is also mentioned that sport improves physical growth and development and at the same time improves health and psychosocial development (“Sport for Development”). Programs like SMART, Sports Management, Academics and... middle of paper... mon for today's generation. Works CitedLederer, Edith M. "UN: Today's Young People Are the Most Educated Ever." Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, NY). 5 October 2005: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. November 26, 2011.Sigelman, Carol K., and Elizabeth A. Rider. Human development across the lifespan. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print."Sports for Development." Right to play. 2008. Network. November 22, 2011. “Welcome to SMART” SMART Web. November 22, 2011. .Yadav, Harry. "The impact of technological progress on child development". Basic Articles. October 20, 2011. Web. November 20. 2011. .