What a girl needs most
“PICTURE A CLASSROOM FULL OF 15-YEAR-OLD GIRLS. Some are noisy, some are quiet, but compared with us – their parents – at that age, they’re amazingly confident and can speak their mind on any subject. They’ve grown up in the sunshine of a century of feminism, and it shows. They seem ready to take on the world …” With these words, best-selling author, counsellor and psychologist Steve Biddulph introduces his latest book, Ten Things Girls Need Most. Yet, despite the heartening introduction, Steve claims that not all is rosy in the world of girls. There are problems and pressures – greater, perhaps, than those faced by any earlier generation. We tracked Steve down (he’s no stranger to Grapevine’s pages) and asked him what form these threats might take.