Amy Vanderbilt Teen Etiquette, 1956

Q. At 13, is it all right for me to like a boy shorter than I? Am I too young to go steady?… Amy answers! ~ Group of teen boys at Knott’s Berry Farm in California, circa early 1950’s 

— Photo source, Etiquipedia Family Photos 

A large percentage of my mail comes from the sub-teen group I sincerely sympathize with the young girl who suddenly becomes really interested in her future dating possibilities and gets herself into a state of needless anxiety about her personal appearance. Here are three letters from this age group.

Q. I am a 12-year-old girl with three problems: 1) I am overweight and my mother won't let me go to a doctor. 2) Most of my girl friends have clothes that are bought ready- made; I have none. 3) My father won't let me go to school dances.— CT., Baton Rouge, La.

AIn your own opinion you may be overweight because your friends are thinner than you are, but in the eyes of a doctor you may not be. At your age it is considered wise to be 10 pounds over the normal. If you are a lot more than that, you should make a sincere effort to cut down on sweets and starches as well as fats. You need plenty of bone-building protein and calcium.

If clothes that are bought in a store seem so important to you, find some way of earning extra money to acquire them. However, many girls are very beautifully dressed by mothers who sew well — and you may be one.

Give your father time in the matter of dances. He probably thinks that you seem to be growing up too fast.

Q. I am a 12-year-old girl and my mother thinks I am too young to go out on dates in the afternoon. May we have your opinion? — D.S., St. Petersburg, Fla.

A. What other nice girls in your own group do is usually a fairly good criterion of what your parents can safely let you do. But the decision must rest with the parents; they know the circumstances and can judge the company you keep.

Q. At 13, is it all right for me to like a boy shorter than I? Am I too young to go steady? — L.R., Chicago, Ill.

A. Why shouldn't you like a boy shorter than yourself? Yes. 13-year-olds are much too young to go steady. — By Amy Vanderbilt in Parade Magazine, 1956

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