Do you think our children are over stressed?

@spalladino (17891)
United States
June 13, 2008 9:39pm CST
I was thinking about everything that my teenage daughter has to deal with in this day and age along with the usual teenage stuff. There's the uncertain economy, of course, with rising prices and the job market getting tighter, the war in Iraq, internet predators and predators on the street, don't go out in the sun or you'll get skin cancer, second hand smoke will give you cancer, antibiotic resistant infections, tainted food, gang violence...I could go on and on. I was a teenager during the Viet Nam war and I remember how stressful that was. That stress created the birth of the Hippies and Flower Children who only wanted peace and to escape through the use of drugs. I have to wonder what will happen to this generation of young people when they have so much more on their shoulders. What do you think? Are our children over stressed? I don't see any outward signs of it in my daughter and I'm not going to put the idea in her head by asking her. Do you see any signs that your children may be having a hard time dealing with all that life is throwing at them?
3 people like this
5 responses
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
15 Jun 08
spalladino I think each age brings its own stress. when I was' a teen itwas the second world war and not knowing how it was all goingto turn out. Having the boys in my senior class leaving for the front instead of graduating. but we did bear up under it, and raised our kids and hoped for peace. each age is different yet we still get stressed and somehow we still cope. 'so the answer I guess is to not over stress and just go about our lives as normally as possible. be glad for the good things each day brings and let them overcome the bad.
@emskoneko (805)
• United States
14 Jun 08
The biggest stress factors that I believe to be for teenagers are educational ones like trying to get into college or training for their school's team and relationships. I, being a teenager, went through some tough stressful times because of those factors. But I think that as teenagers grow older, they'll start thinking about the factors you just listed. I'm sure with positive support and smart decision making teenagers and the rest of humanity can handle today's stress.
• Canada
14 Jun 08
I think that people in general are overstressed and that children are having to deal with way too much. I'm not suggesting we protect them and wrap them in cotton like we used to do, but what I am suggesting is that we don't overburdon them either.
• India
14 Jun 08
WELL I THINK OUR CHILDren will have a good time if v do the right things now to ensure their future.i know the market is really ruthless and ppl out there are ready to kill u for one reason or the other but v cant be so damn sressed .because the more u think about that the more u will strees ur self crating some problem for urself doing bad only for urself so feel easy and relax think about the time u have now and use it effectively so as to make sure their and ur future is safe.evrybody has to strugggle ourt parents struggeled to raise us v r struggling to be good and stable in this high prised ruthless world and our children wil have to struggle too cause thats the way life goes.their is no shortcut.just teach them how to be stable and make them as smart as possible in order to overcoome most of the troubles in their life
• United States
14 Jun 08
I am thanking God that my 16 year old is out of school for the summer.She has always been an honors student and always went to school.She hated missing a day because of all the work she would have o make up and was always afraid she would miss something.Now that her school has started all these new requirements and she had taken two college credited courses this year the school work wasn't coming easily to her anymore.She was stressed every day trying to keep up and sometimes not getting the best grades.She was having difficulty sleeping because she would be worrying about a homework assignment ,or a test coming up.This is the 1st year she didn't make honor roll and it has really bothered her. As far as I am concerned I think the school has gone way overboard with there requirements and standards.It is putting too much pressure on these kids.I know of several kids that quit school because of this,kids that probably would have graduated. As far as regular teenage stuff goes,I think it can be more stressful for the kids that don't get or can't afford all the latest trends,and Ipods,cell phones.There is just too many more of the things that they think they have to have in order to keep up with their friends. Jas