[at-l] 162 Years Ago

[dfaddleton@mindspring.com (David)]

Somewhere on my web site I put the following text:
An American Girlhood
(not much has changed in 162 years, has it?)
Long before an American girl arrives at the marriageable age, her
emancipation from maternal control begins: she has scarcely ceased to be a
child when she already thinks for herself, speaks with freedom, and acts on
her own impulse. The great scene of the world is constantly open to her
view; far from seeking to conceal it from her, it is every day disclosed
more completely, and she is taught to survey it with a firm and calm gaze.
Thus the vices and dangers of society are early revealed to her; as she sees
them clearly, she views them without illusion and braves them without fear,
for she is full of reliance on her own strength, and her confidence seems to
be shared by all around her.
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, (1840)

----- Original Message -----

> It was that way about 30 years ago and, I suspect, about 130 years ago.
> Being a teen, male or female, has always been tough IMHO.
>
> former Brain boy aka
> Black&blue
>
> In a message dated 02/21/02 12:29:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> foshione@dteenergy.com writes:
>
>
> > I think boys have a rough time too. Especially if they deviate from the
> > "norm" in any way. My son, a honor student, computer geek type, came in
for
> > a lot of pressure to do the jock thing. Not just from his male peers,
but
> > also girls he was interested in dating mostly preferred the "jock" boy
as
> > opposed to the "brain" boy.