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I went to a seminar on raising teens, and the guy had first practiced medical research, and now is a Christian counselor. He talked about how the research shows clinical data that “adolescence” in men on the average today extends to 28 years old - some researchers even say 32 years old.

This guy's theory is that we have lost the sense of “tribe” - or family. Adolescence is “figuring out who you are”. Back in Jesus’s time if you were 10 years old and someone asked you who you were you would say “I am of the tribe of Judah”, and know everything about your tribe from the stories, traditions, and being in close contact with your tribe/relatives/village.

That is why there was no adolescence back then. A girl gets her first period - she is an adult. And pretty soon was a mom too.

Now kids have no idea what is right, what to believe, who they are. The breakdown of the family leads to the ultimate breakdown of society. The influence of so many outside views makes it even harder. I know that my parents passed down some very traditional views, and I have tried to pass them down to my kids. I have an uncommon last name, and it is sort of a “tribal” (pride) thing trying to pass down the attributes of my father's name onto my kids.

But every day they are up against what most of the teacher's say, most of the kids, etc. (we live in a very liberal area). I am very proud of them though - they hold there own in the discussions. (Well - my one daughter it is more like arguments....!)