girls on the edge

I will not attempt to write a blog about girls, so perhaps I will focus more the 'on the edge' part, lol.  A couple months ago Dr. Sax published his book, girls on the edge, a sequel to his earlier publication of boys adrift.  Both books attempt to raise awareness of cultural issues that have influence on young people in gender specific ways.  I made mention of boys adrift in a previous blog, while this one will mention a few specifics jumped out to me from girls on the edge.

People ask important life questions such as: "Who am I?", "Who will love me?", and "What is my purpose?"  They typically form their identity based on their answers to questions like these.  The only way that anyone can be fully satisfied as a human is when their answers are founded upon Bible truth.  The people around us either help us discover these truths or help us create false ones.  Part of growing into adulthood is learning to form our own answers to these questions that are satisfying to us.  Girls on the Edge, explores many of the false identities that girls form in attempts to replace truth of God.  Some of these identity struggles from around a misunderstanding of sexuality, fake relationships and bullying through social networking, and obsessions including sports, body, and academics.

Throughout his cultural discussion, Sax raises many questions about the educational system in America suggesting that many young people would better thrive academically if they were in gender-specific classrooms, started school at a later age such as age 7, and received less pressure to learn.  He provides reasons for restructuring school subjects and curriculum so that students could grow interested in and explore topics rather than being force fed answers to questions that they haven't asked yet.  These suggestions are based on discoveries on how how boys and girls think differently at young ages.


Many people define their purpose based on things like their accomplishments, their job, their ability, what other people say they are, or say they are not.  The result is dissatisfaction and confusion.  For example if you define yourself as the start athlete and then you become injured it feels like you life is over.  Or if you find your purpose in impressing everyone and fail someone, then you become a failure rather than a person who made a mistake.

The only way to find true identity, love, and purpose is in Jesus Christ.  That way we find an identity that is outside of our ability.  We discover that we are God's chosen and they we are loved by Him.  We discover that the people in our lives who will truly love us are those that are willing to show us grace.  We are free to life now and for eternity.  We are free to love others and to show them Grace.

Sax does not definitively make the same conclusions that I have made.  He is simply commenting on his discoveries through his medial and social practice and research.  His intended audience is not conservative Christianity, but the common parent.  Nevertheless, I believe that his discoveries provide immense support for the Biblical Christian Worldview.