Contemporary challenges for teenage girls

Teenage girls growing up in contemporary society face many challenges. Those who circumvent the obstacles and become healthy, well-adjusted, and responsible women give testimony to their inner strength, common sense and the devotion and skill of their parents. In the early years of the twenty-first century, there are many temptations to lure young ladies into serious situations and habits which could adversely affect the rest of their lives.

The present trend in beauty dictates that teenage girls be as thin as celery stalks. Many just skip meals, others experiment with vegetarianism or take pills which may fail to meet safety standards. Bulimia and anorexia nervosa are constant threats. Just at a time when their bodies are growing into adulthood, their daily diet is liable to be deficient in necessary nutrients. While they may not feel the effects now, they surely will in later years.

How they choose to adorn these skeleton-like bodies is, in many cases, truly bizarre. There are earrings, not just one in each ear anymore, but sometimes four or more. There may be piercings in an eyebrow, a nose, a lip or even a tongue. Moving down to the torso, I hear that the nipples may tote rings, as well as the navel, and other places which decency dictates we leave to the imagination. Each new piercing carries danger of infection, which, without treatment may cause scaring and lifelong disfigurement, as well as severe pain.

Girls are encouraged to grow up faster today. Fashions are suggestive, even for preteens, if they manage to escape their parents' scrutiny. They become more so, as the girls get older and gain control over their wardrobes. Jeans are now low-rise and end below the navel. Many tops high-rise and leave about four inches of bare skin open to the breeze. It's not uncommon to see pajama bottoms on display, out and about. Plunging necklines are all the rage, even when there is little cleavage to boast about. With all the dieting, what can you expect? Skirts are short as possible without risking arrest, and often two stork-like legs emerge from the hem and head south.

The boy-girl relationships start at a much earlier age today. Many girls enter high school with a steady boyfriend. The young couples lack money for regular dates so mostly, they just "hang out". Parents often take turns driving them to the odd movie or social function. It's a matter of pride and prestige with many parents if their daughter has a boyfriend. It signifies, they think, that she's smart and beautiful. They don't consider that it may be for other reasons. Some mothers offer birth control pills to their daughters, so they can both be free from pregnancy worries.

Illegal drugs are available everywhere. Alcohol is not hard to obtain, for a bright and resourceful teen. Any young man who wishes to wants to weaken a girl's defences, can easily obtain the means of doing so.

The formal practice of religion by the family has fallen off in North America. There was a surge of devotion after the shock and devastation of 9/11, but the fervor has since declined. Sunday is devoted to shopping, sporting events, or for the youngsters, just "hanging out". The teenagers lack a definite moral compass. They may know that some things they do feel wrong, but it's very easily to desensitize a conscience by frequently ignoring its signals. That, unfortunately, is what's happened to many teens today.

It's the girls who will suffer the worst and most lasting consequences. They're the ones on the dangerous diets, with the most piercings, and favoring extreme styles in dressing, ( or undressing, if you will). They're the ones who suffer unplanned pregnancies and/or serious and painful STDs. And, it could be argued that they're the ones who suffer most from broken hearts, when relationships, for which they weren't emotionally ready, break up.

The best resources to help girls navigate the treacherous waters of the teenage years, are committed and involved parents. Keep the lines of communication open and vigorous through your daughter's childhood into her teenage years. You'll know what's going on in her life and be able to give her guidelines to live by, through which she'll be able to avoid the most serious pitfalls.

Go to church as a family. Give her a religious grounding, whereby she'll know there are definite rules for good conduct and valid and proved reasons for following those rules. She'll meet other young people and adults who will serve as appropriate role models for the type of person you want her to become some day. She'll have a basis for comparison: her church friends versus the wild and crazy antics she sees in the teenagers in general society.

At this transitional time in her life, parents can only sit back and hope that she chooses to fall into step with the right group.