You hit a chord with me. I don't know if you are familiar with Dennis Prager or not. He is a radio talkshow host and I happen to love him. He speaks frequently about this phenomenon. Not that the kids are necessarily bright, just that they seem to think they can just go up to adults and criticize them or talk to them as if they are "peers." He always makes such excellent points. The real problem is parents who allow their children to comment to adults as if they were also adults. Some think it's cute. I've seen it. They have not earned the right or status yet, but they are often not scolded or disciplined for this behavior.
Yes--that is it exactly! I do not wish to have conversations with kids not old enough to drive about world affairs and especially anything of a personal nature. Yet, time and time again I hear parents bragging that their kids "get along" better with adults than their peers. More than half the time the reason these kids "get along" better is because the adult is too polite and maintains the conversational line much longer than a peer would. A high school student is not my peer, and I don't want their opinion on nuclear war, Iraq or Chavez. Now, if they have pertinant facts to share from information they have read, then a conversation can happen. But more often than not, I hear "I think" or "I feel" or "In my opinion"
A young teen being able to converse with an adult and not with a peer is not a plus in my book. And it's not a lack of not being able to find intellectual equals. I've seen both of my girls discuss poetry, books, and world events with other teenagers, without the need to insert themselves into the adult side of the conversation.
Then there are the parents that shove their kids into your face so as to brag about how smart they are and to get them to perform in some way... "Show Mrs. H how much you learned about...." or "Recite that poem you memorized..." Uhm, yeah....