Girls then feel huge pressure to hide any distress that comes from these impossible expectations.
After all, everyoneelseis effortlessly succeeding.
But parents shouldnt despairshe offers several valuable tips for combatting your kids stressful, chill girl culture.
Simmons calls this the why is my life so shitty and everyone elses so awesome?
For kids already prone to anxiety or depression, these scrolling sessions can be brutal.
Two, she points out to them that others successes arent their failures.
Is there a long-term cost?
In other words, Annies prettiness does not make younotpretty.
Girls think that admitting that theyre struggling is a mark of weakness.
The girls felt like they couldnt miss a social event for fear of missing out.
Saying no to one thing leaves more time for other thingslike hanging out and watching TV with your family.
She calls this thestress Olympics; when I was in college we called itmisery poker.
and someone else matches and raises: I have three papers, a test and an away game!
The bidding continues until everyone parts ways, still stressed and miserable.
Naturally, youre going to get an A on all those examseven though you hadonly one nightto study.
Saying Can I do anything?, for example, breaks the cycle of competitive stress.
But that same decade-long study also showed that parental policies around drugs and alcohol mitigated the substance abuse.
Research has shown that parents who havea no-alcohol policy have teens less prone to excessive alcohol use.
Now does mean your teen, especially your college student, will never drink?
No, of course not.
Raising children in any way that bucks the prevailing culture is challenging.
But parents have huge influence on how girls see themselves and how they see the broader society.
