The delayed development of adolescents will a major impact upon the future of the United States. Many researchers are proposing causes of this issue. In Part 1, I examined the delay of marriage and parenting, educational patterns, and the isolation of adolescents from adults as possible causes of delayed development. In Part 2, I will be looking at three other probable causes of the delayed development of adolescents. Continue reading
Category Archives: For Parents
Causes of Delayed Development (Part 1)
There are many reasons that adolescents mature at different rates. Some of these are within their control, while others are not. The delayed development of adolescents is not simply due to a lack of effort among this generation. Changes within our society have greatly influenced who they are, and what they will become. In these posts, I want to give an overview of possible causes for the delayed development of adolescents including: economic changes, parenting style, delay of marriage and parenting, changes in educational patterns, isolation from adults, and adolescent perceptions of adulthood. Continue reading
When Sexual Freedom turns to Bondage (A letter to you, not to Miley)
This is not yet another blog about Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and the entry of “twerk” into the English dictionary (I already feel remorse for even typing the word). Continue reading
Five Dos and Don’ts when dropping off your college student
© 2011 Sterling College, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio
Fall is upon us, and many campuses, are many schools are welcoming another record-breaking number of students. It is a good idea for parents to have a role in the higher education of their children, but what is that role? Are they simply there as pack mules for an over-abundance of clothes and a mini-fridge? Continue reading
“Why Millenials are leaving the Church?” – My Voice in the Conversation
There are many articles circulating around the web about why Millenials are leaving the church. I am not a Millennial, but having worked with this age group within the church for the past twelve years, I have a few thoughts to add to the conversation. Continue reading
Establishing Autonomy- A Developmental Task of Adulthood
The first major task of adulthood is to establish autonomy. An individual’s ability to achieve personal autonomy is crucial for personal maturation. James Fowler, a developmental psychologist describes personal autonomy as,
…a person who has a sense of independence, an ability to stand alone, if necessary, on matters of principle. She has clear identity boundaries that Continue reading
Develop Community- A Developmental Task of Adulthood
What does it mean to become an adult? In order to reach adulthood, the individual must accomplish three developmental tasks: establish autonomy, develop community, and discover vocation. In this entry, I will briefly explain the task of developing a community, and its importance to human maturation. 
Continue reading
Discover Vocation- A Developmental Task of Adulthood
![589707_49030396[1]](http://www.earesources.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/589707_490303961.jpg)
The childhood questions, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” becomes central in the mind of emerging adults. The third developmental task of emerging adulthood is to discover vocation. Vocation is a means by which the individual fulfills purpose in their life. “We do not live by breath alone, sex alone, success alone, and certainly not by instinct alone. We require meaning. Continue reading
Defining Adulthood
In order to aid adolescents during the maturation process, we must have an idea of what being an adult is all about. Adulthood is something that is hard to define. Humans do not step over a line of maturation that instantly makes them an adult. Maturation is a gradual process, and leaves many individuals at various ages asking the question, “Am I there, yet?” Sharon Parks describes the difficulty in defining what it means to become an adult.
Continue reading
Why won’t they just grow up?
There are many reasons that adolescents mature at different rates. Some of these are within their control, while others are not. The struggles of emerging adults are often interpreted as a lack of initiative or reluctance to grow up. 
Continue reading