I picked up this short book edited by Jane Waghorn from the library last week, as it sounded interesting. Young women talking about their relationships with their families and friends. It was pretty good - I think it's one of those that is good for teens to read, because it shows them that they're not alone in the way they think.The book is divided into sections by kind of relationship - with siblings, with mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends and boyfriends/girlfriends. I liked that the girls were in varying situations, some fairly standard and some not. The girls also came from different cultural backgrounds, which contributed something extra as well.
The message that came across strongest to me concerned how much is expected of young women today. Wow. I don't remember having that kind of pressure on me. I guess because we've become a culture of over-achievers, with women in general being expected to have fantastic and fulfilling careers as well as perfect families, this isn't so surprising. Many of the young women in this book were expected to take care of their siblings and participate in running the household - they had a lot of responsibility that seemed to belong more in the adult world. Maybe some of these expectations are worth thinking about. These days, watching what is going on around me and thinking of having kids of my own, I tend to vote for anything that prolongs childhoood. Kids grow up way too fast these days.
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