Amen! And amen! I totally agree. I married a week before my 19th birthday, had my first baby three months before turning 21. At 32 I had you, number seven of a fine and lively bunch. At 32, I was the same age that my mother-in-law had given birth to my husband, her first! I could hardly even imagine just beginning at that point! Marrying young, we had not yet 'jelled' as my Grandmother said, and I had enough energy, was flexible and saw the whole thing as an adventure. We were not trying to fit children into our lives... our children were an integral part of our lives-- creating us, actually, and making us into responsible adults.
Good link, Luke, thanks for posting it! The paragraph that began with: Of course, those were the days when grown teens were presumed to be truly "young adults." made me think of something else I had read, "Who Invented Adolescence?" which you can find at http://www.ransomfellowship.org/R_Keyes_Adolescence.html.
In former times, people went from learning to be 'responsible' as a child to being a responsible adult, without the accomodation of adolescence. It was pretty much 'invented' in 1904 by psychologist G. Stanley Hall.
Here's a quote from an article about Hall's work: "Hall's work defined adolescents in modern, scientific terms, that is, as natural and outside of social relations and history. The shapers of the modern, scientific adolescent made growing bodies and sexuality primary foci and the measures to prevent precocity enhanced youth's economic dependence. At a time when movie theaters, dance halls, and other new, urban pleasures beckoned, public focus on youth revolved around misuse of leisure time. Finally, Hall contributed to scientific knowledge about adolescents that catapulted youth ever more firmly into their peers' company (expertly guided by psychologists, social workers, and teachers)." [http://education.families.com/hall-g-stanley-1844-x20131924-985-987-eoed]
That 'age' became something requiring special treatment--'preventing precocity' and 'enhancing economic dependence' sounds like working to keep them from assuming adult roles. Does catapulting them into their peers' company mean encouraging them to relate and look for affirmation mainly from peers, rather than mature adults? And all this 'expertly guided by psychologists, social workers, and teachers.' I'm glad you escaped the mold.
2 comments:
Amen! And amen! I totally agree. I married a week before my 19th birthday, had my first baby three months before turning 21. At 32 I had you, number seven of a fine and lively bunch. At 32, I was the same age that my mother-in-law had given birth to my husband, her first! I could hardly even imagine just beginning at that point! Marrying young, we had not yet 'jelled' as my Grandmother said, and I had enough energy, was flexible and saw the whole thing as an adventure. We were not trying to fit children into our lives... our children were an integral part of our lives-- creating us, actually, and making us into responsible adults.
Good link, Luke, thanks for posting it! The paragraph that began with: Of course, those were the days when grown teens were presumed to be truly "young adults." made me think of something else I had read, "Who Invented Adolescence?" which you can find at http://www.ransomfellowship.org/R_Keyes_Adolescence.html.
In former times, people went from learning to be 'responsible' as a child to being a responsible adult, without the accomodation of adolescence. It was pretty much 'invented' in 1904 by psychologist G. Stanley Hall.
Here's a quote from an article about Hall's work: "Hall's work defined adolescents in modern, scientific terms, that is, as natural and outside of social relations and history. The shapers of the modern, scientific adolescent made growing bodies and sexuality primary foci and the measures to prevent precocity enhanced youth's economic dependence. At a time when movie theaters, dance halls, and other new, urban pleasures beckoned, public focus on youth revolved around misuse of leisure time. Finally, Hall contributed to scientific knowledge about adolescents that catapulted youth ever more firmly into their peers' company (expertly guided by psychologists, social workers, and teachers)." [http://education.families.com/hall-g-stanley-1844-x20131924-985-987-eoed]
That 'age' became something requiring special treatment--'preventing precocity' and 'enhancing economic dependence' sounds like working to keep them from assuming adult roles. Does catapulting them into their peers' company mean encouraging them to relate and look for affirmation mainly from peers, rather than mature adults? And all this 'expertly guided by psychologists, social workers, and teachers.' I'm glad you escaped the mold.
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