Originally Posted by Ron Bennett
Interesting thread ...
Kids growing up too quickly? That's far more perception than reality ... if anything, "kids", as a group, in most western countries, are growing up *slower* compared to say a century ago; many vestiges of the past remain as relevant now as back then ... following are examples one will find in the *United States*:
* Age of sex consent laws ... age 14 to 16 typically.
* Age of legal marriage ... age 7 to 13 typically.
* Age on can drive on public roads ... age 16 in most states; is even lower in some states.
* Operate farm equipment ... single digit age (talking like age 7!) is common, such as with the Amish. Very conflicting laws in regards to this ... an employer typically is not legally permitted to allow employees under age 18 to operate heavy machinery.
* Employment ... age 14 in many states; lower permissable in some states/situations.
* Drop out of school ... age 16 in many states.
* Military service ... age 17
* Can be considered an adult in regards to the legal system ... low teens quite common in most states; can be executed.
Teens, and even younger, in many parts of the world are expected to get married (most often arranged; such arrangements are seen here in the U.S. too, such as with the "Travelers"), have children, work, etc.
While one can debate whether "kids" should or should not do certain things, point I'm making is that "kids", as a group, are not growing up any faster; if anything, the opposite seems to be true.
In regards to psychotropics (getting "high", etc) ... it really depends ... teenagers tend to be more open to learning new things / new experiences, less responsibilities, and less to lose; most adults have much to lose, such as their career, kids, house, etc.
Speaking of maturity, many of the worst troublemakers / very immature people I've personally come across over the years have been way out of their teens - more towards middle age! Maturity isn't a clear-cut thing, even though society tends to make it out that way ... however, with that said, there is much most teens don't know / haven't yet experienced ... so when is the
"right" time for teens to do various activities, etc? There are no simple answers to that and it's doubtful there ever will be, but on the bright side, most teens, regardless of their upbringing, turn out to be well adjusted adults, who themselves will ask the same questions when they too have children ... amazes me how the 60s generation in the States, as a group, is among the most hawkish when it comes to watching / tracking their children ... what are they afraid of? Another Summer of '69, Woodstock, repeat of the 70s ... LOL!
Ron
