A recent survey of over 20,000 teens found that nearly 15 % believe they will die young. The study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 15% of males and 13% of females in grades 7-12 believe it is highly likely they will die before the age of 35. Fatalistic kids are more likely to engage in risky behavior and take drugs because they feel like they have nothing to lose.

As a parent to an infant, and highly optimistic toddler, I wonder what I can do to prevent fatalistic feelings in my own kids as they grow older. What are your thoughts?

Tags: death wish, die young, kids, optimistic

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Nancy's Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.