by Rita Chandler

Created on: July 01, 2010

Does the name Miley Cyrus ring a bell? Even if you don't know who she is, you can bet your 12 year old daughter knows. Your daughter has probably bought some of Miley's clothes, posters, CD's and watches "Hannah Montana" as if it is the ultimate guide to being a girl.

When Disney created "Hannah Montana" in 2006 and hired an unknown barely-teenager named Miley Cyrus to play the dual role little did they know the impact this young lady would have on other barely-teen and pre-teens. An impact I am sure many mother's wish they had forseen and circumvented. The hype surrounding Miley when she first became a star was she grew up attending church and wearing a purity ring. If that image had remained, today's teenage girls may have a different look on life. Instead by age fifteen, Miley was associated with several young men, posing semi-nude in magazines and executing vulgar moves while dancing and singing. Did the barely-teen and pre-teen females ignore all this? Certainly not. They began to replicate her appearance as well as attitude which was, "Look at me, I am young and can wear anything and act anyway I want to with my life." 

Teenage attitude towards parents is nothing new. All teenagers believe they know more than their parents and always have, but in today's society, there is more influence from television, clothes, cell phones, live streams, text messaging, and, of course, the Internet. Girls are naturally dramatic and complicated. Add these traits to what seems idealistic and achievable (Miley was just a country bumpkin nobody) and sweet, friendly, good-natured teenagers turn into something unrecognizable.  

What is the solution? You could try grounding them, using time out, taking away privileges, but they will only revert to their set ideas once they are back with their friends, on their phones or on the Internet. The best recourse is to talk reasonablly with the teenager about their choices. Their biggest argument is that parents treat them like children. So talk to you teenage daughter like an adult. Give her the pros and cons about celebrity lifestyle and why they should not be the model for living their life. If the parent is buying the teenager's clothes, they still have some influence in what their child should wear. If there is argument from your daughter, give her logical reasons for not buying her the tattered blouse and thong panties. Start the communication with the female child in your life at an early age and continue as she ages. Don't back off just because she has a temper tantrum and says she hates you. The more she hates you, the more she will respect you for giving her boundaries.

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