On the subject of teenage maturity

[FaithManor]

Interesting fact: Michigan's first governor was Stephen T. Mason. He was appointed Secretary of the Michigan territory at age 19 and elected as its first governor at age 22.

 

Seems to me that people might have been a wee bit more mature back then or I suppose the other possibility was that they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find anyone to accept the job. It's possible, but I'm leaning towards teen having been a bit more "grown up" in previous generations.

 

Faith

[Parrothead]

I think they were a bit more mature. Back in the day 13- and 14- year olds were getting married. When one is considered and treated like a man at 13, one matures quickly to fulfill that role.

 

The extension of childhood into the teen years seems to be detrimental in many ways to our children.

 

It would be interesting to read how high school came about. I'll have to look that up.

[BridgeTea]

Teens probably were more "grown up" a few generations back, but also I think people of all ages were just more determined to buckle down and get things done.

[Nicole M]

Teens probably were more "grown up" a few generations back, but also I think people of all ages were just more determined to buckle down and get things done.

 

Yes, and I suspect they had to buckle down as a matter of survival.

[Wheres Toto]

At a time when the mean life expectancy was 40 to 50 years, it's probably not surprising that teenagers were expected to take on adult roles.

 

Although if you read about some of the child labor abuses from the 1800's you'd probably cringe about what children were expected to do.

[ChristusG]

I do agree that people were more mature back then. They had to be - life was not as easy as it is today....there were not the conveniences that we have now.

[Nicole M]

At a time when the mean life expectancy was 40 to 50 years, it's probably not surprising that teenagers were expected to take on adult roles.

 

Although if you read about some of the child labor abuses from the 1800's you'd probably cringe about what children were expected to do.

 

Yes, that's what I was thinking.

 

It's hard to know where the line is and what appropriate expectations are. On the one hand, I don't want to overburden my children unnecessarily, but on the other, I don't want to hold them back from developing appropriate skills and habits by taking on responsibilities they can handle. Michigan's first governor probably isn't where I would get my inspiration, though, because one can imagine a variety of scenarios where a young person might get elected to office, and heck, was he even any good at it? ;) But yes, I think I can expect a little more from my teens.

[spradlin02]

I think they were a bit more mature. Back in the day 13- and 14- year olds were getting married. When one is considered and treated like a man at 13, one matures quickly to fulfill that role.

 

The extension of childhood into the teen years seems to be detrimental in many ways to our children.

 

That's my point exactly in this thread. If they get mentoried with respect, expectations and love at an earlier age, they mature earlier and are light years ahead of their peers.

[Mejane]

Our neighboring town of 36,000+ voted in a 22yo mayor in 2005. He is the youngest mayor in the history of CT, and is very popular.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Leigh Bortins mentioned this Newsweek article in her book The Core. I thought it was very interesting...

 

Why Young Men Delay Adulthood to Stay in Guyland

 

Here is a quote:

 

"Once the preserve of whacked-out teens and college slackers, this testosterone-filled landscape is the new normal for American males until what used to be considered creeping middle age, according to the sociologist Michael Kimmel. In his new book, "Guyland," the State University of New York at Stony Brook professor notes that the traditional markers of manhood—leaving home, getting an education, finding a partner, starting work and becoming a father—have moved downfield as the passage from adolescence to adulthood has evolved from "a transitional moment to a whole new stage of life." In 1960, almost 70 percent of men had reached these milestones by the age of 30. Today, less than a third of males that age can say the same."

[spradlin02]

It's hard to know where the line is and what appropriate expectations are. On the one hand, I don't want to overburden my children unnecessarily, but on the other, I don't want to hold them back from developing appropriate skills and habits by taking on responsibilities they can handle.

 

That's what they want. They want to grow up, to be challenged and to be accepted in the adult community. Why do we hear of so many rebellious "teenagers", because they want to be adults, but we don't let them. What does our culture do, subjugate them to infancy through some of the most critical years of their lives. We don't place expectations and we don't give them opportunities to succeed in their own self-defined capacity. Do we expect anything less than lazy "teenagers"?