What are some of the common causes of stress in children today?
DM: One day, a couple years back, my then three-year-old daughter, Rebecca, started singing, “Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart…” She didn’t know the rest of the lyrics to the song, but images of her wearing a belly shirt and dancing seductively, like Britney Spears, immediately ran through my mind. I was horrified. Spears sings, “I’m not that innocent,” but I’d like Rebecca (and my other children) to be innocent for as long as possible. I break the common causes of stress into two categories. I call them “The World Around Us,” and “The World Within.” Rebecca was influenced by “The World Around Us.” The pressure on children to grow up too soon is incredibly dangerous. There are so many sources of stress in a modern society. They include the threat of violence (especially important since 9/11); violence in the media; sex, drugs and rock&roll; pressure to be thin and beautiful; school pressure; raging hormones; social pressure, etc. Home should be a place where children ca
