Question

Evaluate the neighbor’s arguments in the following scenario. Are there facts he is overlooking?

An elderly neighbor says today’s girls are less mature than they used to be. He says it used to be that by the time a girl had a mature body, she had a mature brain to go along with it. The neighbor argues that it all comes down to bad parenting and too much television.

Answer 1

First of all, every child develops and matures on their own pace (within a certain range) and we can't compare one person to another. Secondly, in general, girls are reaching puberty earlier than they used to, which may stem from nutritional or environmental influences. For example, in 1900, the average age of puberty for girls was fifteen; today, it is twelve and a half. Moreover, attaining puberty or having a mature body doesn't result in a mature or fully developed brain. The brain continues to develops on its own pace from the rest of the body, until into adulthood to the age of twenty-five.

Answer 2

Some facts that this old man is overlooking is that women and girls used to have a lot more pressure put into them to be more mature than the boys their age. He says girls then expects them to act like women.