I remember being 11 years old. It was all about making mix tapes off the radio, reading Smash Hits, begging my parents to let me go to see 'Three men and a Baby' in the cinema, and going to the local market to buy baggy jeans like 'Kris Kross' wore! Hey it was the 80s, don't judge!
How times have changed.
This week, elven year old Cruz Beckham, has just been signed up by media luvvie Scooter Braun (of 'Justin Bieber' and 'Gagnam' fame) to become the next signging sensation. And yes, he is 11 years old.
Don't get me wrong, Cruz can sing.
He has a gentle, sweet voice and his newly released 'charity' single 'If every day was Christmas" isn't unpleasant - in fact it's a damn sight better than a lot of the 'charity choir' songs we are subjected to around this time of year.
And I wish him luck. It takes a lot to put yourself out there, whatever age, but pre-teen - wow that takes a lot. Having celebrity parents of course helps though...
As a parent it would take quite a lot to thrust my son into the media spotlight in such a exposed way, knowing that part of his childhood is lost with it. The fear of online trolls and how being famous could take my son from a boy to a man overnight. It would change their life no doubt.
Remember Sophia Grace and Rosie, two girls who famously sang a Nicki Minaj track and became household names overnight, thanks to the endorsement of Ellen DeGeneres? Yeah them - well they ended up signing a record deal with Capitol, launching a couple of books and releasing some singing dolls - to become mini millionaires in their own right.
Better still, all this publicity mainly happened in USA, meaning that they could go back to relatively normal lives in the UK if they chose to.
But what about Cruz? Well, overnight his record has been played to death on Capital radio (every ten minutes apparently), has racked up 150k followers on Instagram and has made the headlines. But at what price? Because he has waivered all rights to privacy - which he might regret in a few years when he reaches those difficult teenage years.
Meanwhile, brother Brooklyn just released his own guide to photography. Wow, he must be such a talent being a teenager and being able to preach about this career path that many spend their lives honing and studying....
I have much respect for any parent that installs a hard working ethos in their children to encourage their entrepreneurial skills. Of course for most normal kids, this means handwriting a magazine that you beg your neighbours to buy, or set up a jumble sale on your front lawn to raise enough money to buy 'Heather Shimmer' lipstick in Boots! Alas, my childhood was sheltered, but you know what - I'm kind of grateful that I got to enjoy it in the way a kid should...
Sophia is the editor of leading parent blog Milk Drunk Diary. Please vote for her in the UK Blog Awards here and give her a follow on Facebook too!