The point is that as your children are advancing in this process of maturation, the reaction from adults to that change can have a lasting impact on how they see themselves and how they interact with others. As an example, I recently was speaking to a father whose twelve year old little girl was approached in a “romantic” way by a twenty-five year old man. A child of twelve interacting with a man of twenty-five is a tremendous adjustment for the child. Our children are being placed in more adult situations and these experiences have a tremendous impact on future events.