age and maturity

I found this article online about why or how
young people are growing up so quickly, I don't
know if you've already read it Kate, I didnt
think there could be such a close link between
our biological clocks and where and how and
who we grow up with, so I was fairly suprised,

Why are girls growing up so fast? 14th Feb 2007
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...growing-up-so-
fast.html

'The speed at which children mature may partly
depend on how their parents conduct their own
relationships. More and more evidence suggests
that a girl's sexual development is affected by
her family environment - and fathers play a
crucial role.

There is no doubt that girls are growing up more
quickly than they used to. The average age at
menarche - when periods start - has plummeted
over the past 150 years in western societies
from around 17 years old down to 12 or 13. Boys
are also maturing earlier, although far less is
known about their accelerated development because
their progress through puberty is more difficult
to measure. Maturing early is not simply a vague
matter of "lost childhood" - it can have serious
health repercussions. The younger a girl is when
she reaches puberty, the higher the likelihood
that she will experience depression and breast
cancer, indulge in substance abuse or risky sexual
activity, or suffer teenage pregnancy and
dissatisfaction with her body image. Early-maturing
boys may face their own problems, but with so few
studies into their development these are as yet
unknown.'

back in 1991....

'...suggests that girls who experience a lot of
family stress will mature faster.

They found that daughters from homes in which the
biological father was present tended to experience
puberty and their first sexual encounter at a later
age than those whose father was absent.The closer
and more affectionate the father-daughter relationship,
the later the child's sexual development occurred.
A supportive relationship between parents delayed
puberty still further. In contrast, the biological
father's absence, or friction between parents, was
associated with earlier puberty, sexual activity
and pregnancy. Girls who had lived without their
fathers from an early age were almost twice as likely
to have completed puberty by the seventh grade (age
12 or 13) and were seven times more likely to
experience pregnancy in adolescence.'

About 15 years ago I remember being told that good diet
was the most important factor in adolescence, Zinc was
supposed to be key mineral for some reason, anyway,
will a shorter childhood have any really important impact
when we're adults? I mean thats nearly 5 years off
any childhood isnt it! if someone said they can reduce
your kids childhood by nearly 30% what would we say
about it!

miri

On 20 Feb 2007 14:59:18 -0800, "miri"
wrote:

I found this article online about why or how
young people are growing up so quickly, I don't
know if you've already read it Kate, I didnt
think there could be such a close link between
our biological clocks and where and how and
who we grow up with, so I was fairly suprised,
snip parts

Early-maturing
boys may face their own problems, but with so few
studies into their development these are as yet
unknown.'

I can tell you that from what I know, the social status of early
maturing boys increases. It's quite the opposite with early maturing
girls.


back in 1991....

'...suggests that girls who experience a lot of
family stress will mature faster.

They found that daughters from homes in which the
biological father was present tended to experience
puberty and their first sexual encounter at a later
age than those whose father was absent.The closer
and more affectionate the father-daughter relationship,
the later the child's sexual development occurred.
A supportive relationship between parents delayed
puberty still further. In contrast, the biological
father's absence, or friction between parents, was
associated with earlier puberty, sexual activity
and pregnancy. Girls who had lived without their
fathers from an early age were almost twice as likely
to have completed puberty by the seventh grade (age
12 or 13) and were seven times more likely to
experience pregnancy in adolescence.'

I've heard/read that too. I also read that in order for menarche to
occur, girls must have a certain percentage of body fat.


About 15 years ago I remember being told that good diet
was the most important factor in adolescence, Zinc was
supposed to be key mineral for some reason, anyway,
will a shorter childhood have any really important impact
when we're adults? I mean thats nearly 5 years off
any childhood isnt it! if someone said they can reduce
your kids childhood by nearly 30% what would we say
about it!

miri

That really is amazing when you put it into years.

Let me throw one into the mix.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/02/05...eut/index.html

Study: Sex of any kind can harm teens emotionally
POSTED: 12:03 p.m. EST, February 5, 2007
Adjust font size:
Decrease fontDecrease font
Enlarge fontEnlarge font

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Teenagers often suffer emotional consequences
from having sex, even when it's "only" oral sex, a study published
Monday suggests.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that
up to one-half of the sexually active teenagers in their study said
they'd ever felt "used," guilty or regretful after having sex.

Though such feelings were less common among teens who'd had only oral
sex, about one-third reported some type of negative consequence.

Dr. Sonya S. Brady and Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher report the findings
in the journal Pediatrics.

The study, according to the researchers, suggests that parents should
be sure to talk with their kids about the potential negative effects
of having oral sex, not only intercourse.

"When parents and teens talk about the consequences of having 'sex,'
they may not take the time to define what sex is," Brady and
Halpern-Felsher noted in comments to Reuters Health.

"It is important for parents to help teens understand that having oral
sex may result in social, emotional and physical health consequences
-- just as having vaginal sex may result in these consequences."

In particular, the study found, girls were twice as likely as boys to
say they'd ever "felt bad about themselves" after having sex, and
three times more likely to say they'd felt used.

Though the study could not look at the reasons for this difference,
other studies have noted that there's pressure on girls to at once be
sexually attractive yet resist having sex.

"In contrast, boys' sexuality and sexual behavior is generally
accepted," Brady and Halpern-Felsher pointed out. "Parents can play an
important role in helping to eliminate this double standard by
encouraging respect for women and discouraging the use of derogatory
sexual terms."

The findings are based on a series of surveys given to 618 students at
two public high schools, beginning in ninth grade when they were 14
years old. Of these, 275 reported having oral sex, vaginal sex or both
by the spring of tenth grade.

Among the sexually active teens, those who said they'd had only oral
sex were generally less likely to report negative consequences,
whether physical -- pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections -- or
emotional.

However, they were also less likely to report positive effects, such
as feeling closer to their partner or feeling good about themselves.
Such positive feelings about sex were common, the study found. In
fact, the teens more often reported positive effects than negative
ones.

This suggests that when parents talk with their kids about sex, it
might be a good idea to acknowledge the potential positive outcomes,
like emotional intimacy, Brady and Halpern-Felsher note in their
report. Parents could then talk about other ways to find those same
feelings.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

=================

Stop making me think! g

'Kate