My Focus on Family Life and Parenting

22% of kids 9 to 17 say, “I can hardly wait to be on my own”

What may see like harmless play-acting actually has serious consequences.  “Instead of trying out a range of new things and building confidence that way, kids are borrowing identities from celebrities,” say Borba.  “They’re racing into adulthood before they’ve learned to feel safe about who they are.”

The ability to form solid connections with others, so important to overall happiness, is also suffering:  “Teens are hooking up and having one-night stands and not developing relationships,” says Borba.  “One of the reasons is they’re seeing so much sex everywhere.”  As a consequence, the far deeper importance of intimacy in human relationships is lost.

We can’t pull our kids out of the world they live in.  They’ll be tempted by the lingerie, the makeup, the out-there screen savers, the grinding on the dance floor.  But there are specific ways to equip them to deal with the pressures and to make sure that they stay kids.  Take a look at what may be happening in your child’s life and what you can do.