What Is Adolescence?

Boys enter puberty later than girls, usually around age twelve, and it lasts until around ages sixteen or seventeen (Parents & Teachers: Teen Growth & Development, Years 11 to 14). Precocious puberty means having development of breasts or testes, menstrual bleeding, pubic and underarm hair, body odor, and an increased growth rate earlier than normal. For girls, puberty is generally considered to be too early if it begins at age seven or eight. African-American and Hispanic girls tend to start puberty slightly earlier than Caucasian girls. For boys, puberty is generally considered too early before the age of nine years (Adkins, Deanna, and Dennis Clements).

This paper will address the causes and some solutions to childhood obesity. During the past 30 years, childhood obesity in the United States has more than doubled in children ages 2 to5 years old. Childhood obesity has more than tripled among 6 to 11 year olds and doubled in children aged 12 to19 years old. According to Jain (2004), the term obese is avoided because of its considerable negative connotations and fear of the stigma that accompanies the label. As a result, the term “overweight” is used to describe a child whose body mass index is above the 95th percentile for his or her age and sex.

When my son was born they rushed him to the intensive care unit. It was 3:10 pm when he was born and I did not see him until 10:00pm that night. He now was stable, hooked up to so many tubes and wires I could barely see his tiny face. I was heartbroken; I now blamed myself for this. I started to dought myself, had I done the right decision?

He couldn’t eat or drink, so he was on an IV, and for a while he seemed to be wasting away. When he began to be able to drink again we got to take him home”(106 Degrees: A True Story). Due to the doctors catching the measles in time and taking prescriptions, the baby boy ended up recovering successfully. The boy 's mother Megan explained, “people who choose not to vaccinate their children actually make a choice for other children and put them at risk”(“106 Degrees”: A True Story). She also said that, “at 10 months, my son was too young to get the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Risking The Future Introduction: To begin, societies have changed over the centuries. However, childbirth has not changed and children are still being born today the same way they have for several decades. One can remember a time when teenage pregnancy was a disgrace. When an adolescent girl became pregnant, she was either sent away until the baby was born or the baby was given up for adoption. Often times the baby was even raised as a sibling to its own mother.

Children can experience numerous complications in relation to their obesity, and it is important to understand these long-term effects on their body. Childhood obesity has been shown to persist into adulthood, causing an increase in morbidity and early mortality for those affected. Illnesses that were historically unheard of in pediatrics are occurring more frequently. Metabolic syndrome was once a predictor of adult cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but has recently been used for pediatrics. Pediatric patients with the diagnosis of metabolic disorder tend to be obese, sedentary, and show signs of insulin resistance and hypertension.

Children who are overweight are 10x more likely to become overweight adults unless they change their eating habits and exercise. (“Childhood Obesity. Pg 1). 30% of adult obesity begins in childhood, it is also said obesity is the cause of 300,000 deaths a year and cost society an estimated $100 billion a year. Today, about one third of American’s children and teens are considered to be overweight or obese, it has nearly tripled in size since 1963 (“Childhood Obesity”.

Once a full explanation has been provided; the fundamental question that needs to be answered is; are the teenagers of today embattled or empowered? “Definitions of ‘youth’ in Western societies usually refer to the life stage between childhood and adulthood, the transitional period between being dependant and becoming independent” (Kehily, 2007). The age of this transition can be best defined by the House of Commons as starting at 16 and ending at 24 years old (2013). This transition from youth to adulthood has altered considerably in recent years; the traditional norms and values that youth once followed are no longer respected or easily attained. Current youth have very different life styles and expectations, consequently; adolescents are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood.

My inclination towards the field of social work has been growing for as long as I can remember. In hindsight, it began as a child when I realized that it was strange that I did not know who my father was. I began questioning my mother about my father. After some time and with significant hesitation, she told me that my father had been abusive towards her. My mother re-married when I was ten years old and my personal experiences with physical abuse continued.

The hospital had sent me home with narcotic pain medication after I had my first child. Narcotic pain medication was love from the first use. I used pain medication from 1997 until 2003 until I found my new love, Heroin. By this time my body was so use to pain pills my tolerance became higher and pain medication wasn’t keeping me as high as I wanted to be. I had already lost my children due to my use and didn’t have anybody or anything holding me