Coming of Age in Oklahoma

How and from whom do Oklahoma girls learn to live? From what multiple educational agencies, by what strategies and what do they learn about living wisely and well? This culturally and autobiographically situated narrative inquiry studies fourteen stories of young Oklahoma women. They emerged into three intuitively clear groups as challenged, protected and supported, with distinctive life-wisdom themes. The girls who gave evidence of having deliberately learned to live wisely and well as teenagers were challenged by struggles; they respect themselves and have achieved some autonomy in the construction of their own lives. Not family, but teachers, health professionals, and church people befriended them. Parents joined the group befriending the supported girls. The protected girl avoided struggle and choice by following the rules and roles specified by family and church. The supported girls learning to live wisely and well is slower than the challenged girls, but more certain than the protected girl. This analysis sheds light on parenting and teaching choices for schools, religious educators, health professionals as well as parents.