Puberty

When my 12 year old daughter finished year six, we had an end of primary school disco party on our apartment building’s rooftop. They danced and giggled; my main concern was if there was enough food.

Whatever they do, they can't take our phones away, right?

That party would also be a farewell to innocence. Within six months, she’d been invited to a 13 year old’s harbour boat party with the invite warning: “No alcohol. Bags will be searched.” She’d feel the peer pressure to have sex. And she’d smoke and drink.

In an article in The Daily Telegraph on the weekend, parenting expert Steve Biddulph argued that 14 is the new 18, and girls are under unprecedented pressure.

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  • bj says:

    06:12pm | 26/02/13

    Perhaps the real problem is the self esteem movement. We have a generation of young girls who have grown up with a steady diet of affirmation and we wonder why so many of them are such narcisists. People with high self esteem take bigger risks. Read more »

  • bj says:

    06:06pm | 26/02/13

    They were-but only with a few boys. Apparently you weren’t one of them. Read more »

 

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