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From: miri on 20 Feb 2007 17:59
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/being-human/mg19325901.900-why-are-girls-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

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