Growing Up Fast

The first edition of Growing Up Fast attempted to counter the stereotype of poor, minority adolescent mothers and describe the diversity of their educational, work, parenting, and relationship experiences.

Bonnie J. Ross Leadbeater, Ph.D., has an interdisciplinary background with an emphasis on health, education, and psychology. She holds degrees in Nursing and Educational Psychology from the University of Ottawa, and in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University, New York. She has made internationally recognized contributions to knowledge on bullying and victimization, adolescent depression, resilience in high-risk youth, and transitions to young adulthood. She also developed and evaluated the WITS Programs for the prevention of bullying and victimization in elementary school children. She is highly committed to efforts to translate theory and research into student training and into policy and program actions that can improve the lives of children, youth, and their families.

New Foreword by Ross D. Parke Revisiting Growing Up Fast: Building a Rock to Stand over a Decade Later by Bonnie Leadbeater Preface - Introduction: Beyond the Sterotypes: What Kind of Problem Is Teenage Parenting? - The American Context: Sex, Marriage, Work, and Poverty - Resilient Processes: Gaining Strength From Challenge and Support - Pathways to Adulthood: School and Work - Life as a Working Mother: Teressa and Charise - Welfare Benefits for Inner-City Adolescent Mothers: Supporting Early Adult Development - Living on Welfare: Mialisa, Helen, and Vivian - Resilient Relationships: Men as Fathers and Partners - Relationships That Hurt: Escaping Domestic Violence - Adolescent Mothers as Co-Parents: The Effects of Maternal Care, Grandmothers' Involvement, and Day-Care Experiences on Child Competence and Problem Behaviors - Building a Rock to Stand On: Policies That Enhance Competence for the Transition to Early Adulthood Appendix A: Description of Measures Appendix B: Interview for Ethnographic Data Appendix C: Course Activities and Discussion Materials