Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EdNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University

1. Dan your latest book is entitled "Alpha Girls Understanding the New American Girl and How She Is Changing the World". First of all, what exactly do you mean by an "alpha girl"?

The short, non-technical answer is that she is a new breed of girl, with an emancipated psychology that carries no hint of belief that she is a member of "the second sex." The alpha girl doesn't feel limited by her sex; she is a person first and then a woman.

Issues of sex and gender, dependence and independence, and dominance and subordination are largely irrelevant to how she sees herself in the world.For my research I focused on the tip of this generational iceberg and looked at high achieving, talented, involved American and Canadian adolescent girls from a representative spectrum of the culture.

2) Do you think that these "alpha girls " may be intellectually gifted, socially gifted, athletically gifted or all of the above?

Some were unbelievably talented across the board – arts, academics, community service. The large majority were involved in athletics and rated the importance of their participation equally with boys, which I believe underscores how important the US Title IX legislation has been for girls' healthy development.

3) I recently read a book about " Rainbow Parties" which discussed adolescent sex parties and other adolescent " events". Are some books perhaps overfocusing on the negative aspects of the teenage years?

Yes, without a doubt and for the some of the same reasons that the media over-reports on negative events. It sells.

4) These are, in my opinion, "tough times" and we do in fact have to raise strong children to deal with on-going adversity and the threats of terrorism that affect us all. How do the " Alpha Girls" seem to deal with the chaos that seems to be affecting us all? And how are the boys coping? Or are both groups in denial?

Perhaps I'm in denial, but I don't see these times as all that tough for American adolescents.I once wrote a book entitled Tough Times, Strong Children in which I interviewed adults who had grown up in really tough circumstances such as Nazi concentration camps, the Great Depression, and the 1918 flu pandemic.The stress experienced by the vast majority of American teenagers today pales in comparison to that of the vast majority of children who came before them.

5) Do your " Alpha Girls" need their emotional lives protected also? You recently wrote about helping boys with their emotional needs.

What are the emotional issues that boys face?

Not in the same way as many boys who continue to suffer from emotional illiteracy as a result of their emotional mis-education. Unfortunately, much of what Michael Thompson and I wrote about in Raising Cain in 1999 is still relevant today.

6) I met David Elkind a few months ago and he was concerned about the disappearance of childhood- are kids being forced to grow up too soon, and are they confronted with the negatives about the world too early?

David Elkind continues to be an important voice in making parents recognize the "hurried child syndrome". I see this as less an issue of being confronted with the negatives about the world and more simply being compelled to live the kinds of overscheduled sleep-deprived lives that most of their parents are trying to free themselves from.

7) A specific question- Your " Alpha Girls"- how many were studied and how sexually active are they? Or do they make a conscious decision to wait or to procure the pill earlier than their peers?

A total of 928 students (697 girls and 228 boys) completed our research survey and an additional 113 Alpha Girls - designated as such by adults at their schools -were interviewed for the book.

About three-fourths of both alpha and non-alpha girls were virgins when they took our survey.Around another 10 percent in both groups were virgins but had had oral sex. A sizeable percentage of them weren't interested in sex – they say they're too busy! Others don't want the emotional entanglement, which they feel would divert them from their studies and extra-curricular activities.

8) How do we raise children of character and do these " Alpha Girls" have more ego strength, character , and responsibility than other girls?

The answer to the second question is an unqualified "yes".In response to the first, I'd direct your audience to yet another book I wrote – Too Much of A Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age in which I give parents some advice along these lines.At its core, character comes from character building experiences and observing positive character traits in parents.

9) Is there a web site where people can get more information or order your book?

www.dankindlon.com or any online book seller such as amazon or Barnes and Noble.

10) What question have I neglected to ask?

Many, actually, but if I answered them all, no one would be motivated to buy my book.In particular, we haven't discussed the effect this generation of alpha girls will have on our culture. I predict big changes, nearly all of them positive.

Published March 15, 2007