Episode 30: Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson studies adolescence

I throw inflammatory questions and opinions about teenagers at Washington State University sociology professor Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, and she handles them with aplomb.

Teenagers have a rough time, and different teenagers have different rough times depending on who they are, where they live, what their parents are like, and how much money they've got. Most interesting, and sounding right, Monica discusses the "package" we're born with: Our rough or easy teenage transition as a life stage usually has to do with more than one factor ... here and abroad.

Let's talk adolescents ...

Want to read more? Monica recommends two "easily accessible" books (not overly mathematical) and one a little denser:

• Not Quite Adults: Why 20-somethings Are Choosing a Slower Path to Adulthood, and Why It's Good for Everyone by Richard Settersten and Barbara E. Ray 
• The Accordion Family: Boomerang Kids, Anxious Parents, and the Private Toll of Global Competition by Katherine S. Newman, with a less U.S.-centric take
• Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy T. Schalet, which compares U.S. views on adolescent sexuality to Dutch teens and parents.

Sneak peek? She's also working with another academic on learning how people are reacting to each other, masked or unmasked, in this pandemic. Got to have her back to talk about THAT!

My own sneak peek? Monica's great interview is the first in a three-part series about childhood, adolescence, and old age. More to come there!

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by Ivan Samkov from Pexels