In a recent poll, a majority of teens described their relationship with their parents as being excellent, better than with their teachers or classmates or siblings. A majority described their parents as being very involved in their lives and knowing just about everything that went on, while fewer than 10% described their parents as uninvolved and clueless.

• An article written by Time Magazine focuses on just what it’s like to be thirteen years old in this day and age. Time polled 501 thirteen year olds via the Internet and two-thirds of those polled said that being a teenager is harder for them than it was for their parents. Almost half of those polled (46%) believe that by the time they are their parents’ age, the U.S. will be a worse place to live in than it is now. In their responses, the fears and pressures show, as does the gap between how their parents see them and how they perceive themselves. Parents seem to be more worried now about their kids growing up too fast and studies have shown that 13-year-olds are generally more mature physically than they were a generation ago. The poll conducted by Time did show some positive results, however. More than half of the teenagers polled described their relationship with their parents as being excellent, better than with their teachers or classmates or siblings. A majority described their parents as being very involved in their lives and knowing just about everything that went on, while fewer than 10% described their parents as uninvolved and clueless. About three-quarters of those polled had not started dating yet and 60% said they believed that people should postpone sex until marriage.¹

¹Being 13, Time Magazine, July 31, 2005, pp. 1-4.

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