Back in the day, changes in behavior were credited to the "stages" children were passing through. Not much attention was paid to them, and, like growing pains, most folks agreed they'd pass with time and fresh air. Stages, save for adolescence, had no names, and even that fell into a broader catch-all that identified those in that category as "teens." It was a simpler time, and parents whose experience was mirrored in the behavior of their children, weren't worried and rarely stressed about the state of their children's psyche or personality development. It was a laissez-faire approach to child rearing, designed to raise obedient and God-fearing children. That changed as education, economic opportunity and technical innovation convinced those on the brink of adulthood they could do better and be better than their parents. We became more introspective and asked more of ourselves and others.
