Alcohol, fashion, attitude: childhood ends at 11

Researchers in Britain have found that children are forcing their parents to authorise freedoms that belie their years in contrast with the traditional upbringings experienced by their moms and dads.

 

According to the study, more and more teenagers are being allowed to drink alcohol, stay out late and sleep over at their friends’ houses, The Daily Telegraph reported.

 

Little girls in particular are growing up faster than ever and they no longer want to play with dolls. Instead they go on to pierce their ears, dye their hair and prefer to wear fashionable dresses.

 

The researchers for the Random House publishers came to the conclusion after carrying out a survey of 1,170 parents with kids under 18. The survey has showed a gulf between the parental code of a previous generation and the lenient attitudes of today’s parents, with 55 per cent of parents saying that childhood is now “over by 11” — the tender age when children move from primary to secondary school.

 

Almost three-quarters of parents allow their children to drink alcohol at home before they turn 18, and 45 per cent of parents permit their 16-year-old children to spend the night at a friend’s house.

 

More than half of children aged 16 and under are allowed to stay out past 11 pm, and half are permitted to dye their hair and wear make-up by the time they are 14.

 

Three-quarters of parents admitted that their children had scant regard for their authority and regularly acted against their will, with 72 per cent admitting that they give their children a far easier ride than their parents did.

 

© Copyright 2006 PTI. All rights reserved