Staying Connected: A Guide for Parents on Raising an Adolescent Daughter

Spirituality

Parents want their children to be moral people and think beyond themselves. Most hope that these values will come from a religious belief. Religiosity also seems to have long-term benefits affecting sexual behavior, coping skills, social competence, self-esteem, and identity issues. Research shows that adolescent girls tend to be more actively religious than boys and maintain their belief systems over longer periods of time. Nevertheless, part of a girl’s separation from family may involve a resistance to the parents’ culture, in many cases including their religion.

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