Best-Selling Author, Tim Elmore, Reveals Information and Ideas About Why WeDesperately Need Kids to Grow Up and How We Help Them Do That
They grow up so fast, don’t they? “My seven-year-old taught me how to
download music.” “My fifth grader wants a tattoo.” But how about this
perspective? “My college grad wants me to call his boss.” “My 30-year
old won’t move out of the house.” The pervasive lamenting about how kids
today seem older at an earlier age is being counteracted with the fact
that they don’t seem to want (or aren’t able) to grow up. Adolescence is
expanding in both directions—starting earlier and ending later.
Best-selling author and international leadership expert, Tim
Elmore, talks about the tremendous impact this is having on society
in his latest book, ARTIFICIAL MATURITY: Helping Kids Meet the
Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults (Jossey-Bass, June 2012,
ISBN: 978-1-1182-5806-4, $24.95/Cloth/e-book). Artificial maturity is
the idea that children are consuming such a large amount of information
every day that they think they are mature, fostering over-confidence and
often arrogance among them. In reality, they lack the self-awareness,
real life experience and emotional maturity that allow them to cope with
the world around them.
“Artificial maturity can look remarkably real because kids know so much,
but they haven’t experienced enough that gives them context of how to
process that information,” says Elmore “Information comes to them easily
and readily through many channels, but we are mistaking one area of
advanced development for overall maturity. It’s a kind of ‘Google
reflex.’ Healthy, mature young adults are ones who have developed
intellectually, volitionally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.”
Significant impact awaits if our children do not rise to their place in
society as leaders, teachers, mentors, parents and generally responsible
adults. The signs are already there. Influences of artificial maturity
can be seen within aspects of Corporate America, national education and
healthcare systems, college and professional sports, even national
security.
So how do we move forward? By rethinking the way we lead, teach and
manage children today. “Kids are over protected and under challenged,”
continues Elmore. “While a parent’s focus on safety is understandable,
it disables the child from taking calculated risks and learning to fail,
both of which help people mature. The activities we provide are
important, but too monitored. Kids often don’t know what to do with free
time. They fail to learn to resolve conflict, think for themselves or do
real-life problem solving.”
In this book and hands-on guide, Elmore leads the reader to understand
what authentic maturity looks like, how it impacts society, and how to
create a balanced environment that enables children to lead themselves
well and influence others in a positive way. He offers at the end of
each chapter discussion questions and real-life ideas that have worked
for parents and educators across the country.
To find out more about Artificial Maturity: Helping Kids Meet
the Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults, visit our web site at www.growingleaders.com.
