teen

Daniel F.                                                                                                                 Dec 6^th/12

Who’s to Blame?

            The cheerleading captain, a straight A student, sits in her room and grimaces in pain as she slowly cuts her own skin to reveal crimson red blood. A situation that seems unrealistic has become the more then likely scenario. Dr. Leonard Sax becomes entangled in the article “Inside the Dangerously Empty Lives of Teenage Girls” as he tries to explain the change in young women and what the result has become. Teenage girls with new technologies and mentalities are changing, not necessarily for the better, including becoming more prone to “cyber bullying” which sometimes can result in inflicting pain on themselves. Followed by an explanation of how parents must adapt to the new teenage girl. This informative paragraph brings both valid and non valid arguments to the ever changing mind of a girl.

            Dr. Leonard Sax gives his perspective on cyber bullying and the dangers of social networking. He focuses mainly on the “photoshopping” and branding that is accompanied with the internet, which can stand as a problem however the bigger culprit is more likely the viral attacks on social networking sites such as facebook. A larger reason for personal dissatisfaction is through hurtful comments brought on by peers as apposed to the images of miscellaneous women on the internet. Part of the pain inflicted by peers is usually related to appearance which then amplifies any need to change into unrealistic body types. The more important problem is how to create positive communication so that girls realize the importance being happy with who they are.

            “Cutting” and “burning” are two of the discussed ways to inflict self harm. His explanations to the reasons why are well addressed with thoughtful evidence. It has become more frequent. It is more predominant in females. It still surprises society as to why. The surprise comes as he explains that now the popular girls are beginning to do this more then before. The pain and damage inflicted is real according to teenage girls who feel they are performing as compared to living a fulfilled life. A topic of concern that should be further explored. Dr Sax has also informed the reader that doing this actually can give teenage girls a high, just another reason why it has increased.

            The article is concluded with how parenting can be changed to accompany the ever changing mind of young women. However these reasons do not follow the same new outlook on society. He explains parents must become more controlling in regulating use of the internet. This is the wrong way to approach parenting. It has been proven that this often times causes the child to rebel and could cause more negative effects. The more rewarding alternative that is often harder is creating a relationship with your child where they feel closer and safe with the parent. This allows them to convey their concerns which then can be addressed in a safe way. As well as giving a higher chance of teenage girls listening to their parents explain their best interests. With the busy lives of parents this may seem near impossible but it is a sacrifice that must be made “to keep your child safe, that’s number one.”

            In reality this article well explains the change of teenage girls and lets the reader become more aware of these ever going issues. While observations are easy to make, Dr. Sax makes the common error of parents in giving the general, easier, answer to how to better parent your child, instead of the harder more successful way in dealing with the future women of tomorrow.