Innocent Bystander
As much as I wanted to get away from youth related problems and youth related topics I just can't stop talking about youth. Obviously the story hasn't changed from the beginning of parenthood: the younger generation is always rebelling against the older generation that doesn't understand why the younger generation is so confusing and why both generations don't seem to do anything right. Plus you go where the stories are, and youth are full of more drama than Shakespeare's pantaloons! Two stories stick out in my mind, both happened within a week of each other and when both happened I was lucky enough to just be a bystander. This is what I learned:1. Youth should care about sports more than our environment.
I was driving somewhere... and it was night time (I'm not trying to keep anything a secret, I honestly can't remember where I was headed, I feel so old when that happens). Anyways, I was driving somewhere at night and I happened to notice two, let's call them adolescent type people, walking down the sidewalk. One was a girl and the other was a boy and the boy was drinking something in a very large cup, probably a 'Big Gulp'. Just so you know this is all exposition, I need to set the stage. So, youth boy and girl walking down the street at night (sometime around 8-ish on a weekday...er... weeknight) and the boy was drinking something out of a large cup, hopefully you're keeping up. What grabs my attention as I'm driving down the road is that I notice that there are two “kids” out walking down the street (on the sidewalk) during a weeknight.
Side Note: It always interests me to see youth aged kids walking around town at night, for some reason I would have never thought to ask my parents if I could walk a mile down the road to go get a 'Big Gulp' around 8 o'clock at night. Actually to tell you the truth it always interests me to see anyone walking around town at night. When my wife and I took a short anniversary vacation up toward the White Mountains (Show Low/Pinetop area in AZ) this summer, which ironically enough is the “rainy season”, we saw multiple people walking around town at night ,and not just at night but when it was also raining. Neither my wife or I could explain this phenomenon.
So, again: youth boy and girl walking down the street at night (sometime around 8-ish on a weekday...er... weeknight) and the boy was drinking something out of a large cup, however at the same time I am driving by the boy finishes his drink. What happens next is the most disturbing thing that I could have imagined happening. The boy takes his last sip of the drink and proceeds to drop it out of his hand and tries to punt it like a soccer ball. If you didn't catch the keyword in that last sentence I'll repeat it for you, “TRIES.” He missed the cup, not missed kicking it well so he didn't get good height or distance, but completely missed the cup altogether! This is wear I get angry, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This kid tried to punt an empty drink cup, a piece of trash, on the sidewalk and he totally missed it. After he missed it he just kept walking, just leaving that piece of trash sitting there on the sidewalk! I was completely and totally appalled! I had half a mind to stop driving, turn around and grab that kid by the neck and show him how to kick properly! How could a teenage boy NOT be able to kick a cup?! At that moment I knew there was a bigger problem with youth than I had thought.
2. Youth should not give other youth advice.
I was standing in line at a grocery store (this time I am keeping it a secret, I don't want to discourage anyone from shopping at a particular location) and I heard this exact conversation between the workers.
Worker: Male, 18-21 years old
James: Male, 16-18 years old
Brian: Male, 24-26 years old
Worker: Hey James, you should close tonight.
James: Nah I can't, I have homework to finish so I don't fail.
Brian: It's scary that she knows my name (talking about a customer behind me that asked him question by name).
Note: Brian is wearing a name tag.
Worker: James you should close tonight and then come hang out at my place. Last night I bought this tiny BBQ grill and filled it with charcoal; we made s'mores and I cooked sausage (you have to imagine him saying this like it Benjamin Franklin explaining electricity for the first time, he was that excited about the s'mores and sausage).
James: That sounds like fun, but I need to do homework so I don't fail.
Brian: What?! It's Friday, you have all weekend to do homework. I didn't even do homework on the weekends, I just waited until it was due and did it in class... if I even did it.
Two thoughts shot through my mind almost simultaneously: First all I could think was, “So you're not surprised that you work at a grocery store then?” The second thought was, “RUN JAMES, PLUG YOU EARS AND RUN!!!” But then my conscience got the better of me, so I kept my mouth shut and just smirked as I walked out.
I know what you're thinking and you're right, two of those workers were not technically youth age, and I would have to agree. Physically they wouldn't be considered youth anymore, but if you read the conversation, and I didn't preface their ages, what age would you have guessed them to be. My guess would have been youth aged.
This is all I'll leave you with: The constant question in my head for youth isn't, “What are you thinking?!” Actually the #1 question in my head that I always want to ask you is, “Who is your role model? Who do you model your life around and why?” I never ask it and the reason is that I am terrified of the answers I would get.
1 comment
It is strange that I just happened to read this the same day that my boyfriend and I were discussing Michael Vick (I am sure you know who I am refering to). He actually ended up in a debate with soneone who supported him being picked up by the Eagles. How could someone who could do somethig so disgusting still play a professional sport and be a role model to some poor and nieve youth. (excuse the spelling/grammer, I know I am not the best) When you mentioned that you would be scared to find out who people's role models are, I couldnt agree more. It was like a little bell started to ring in my head saying "ding ding ding. We have a winner here!". I mean is this what we are to expect of our future genertion? It scares me on so many different levels.
When it comes to role models, I would rather my son looks up to a non-fictional character such as Spiderman or Superman. I would assume most kis at at least one point in their life, look up to their own parent(s) as a role model. I try to be the best mom that I can and pray that I am leading my son down the right path. I would hope that he looks at me as someone who has learned the lessons of life the hard way and takes a right turn where I took a left. I would be scared to find out who people look up to today if not their parents (and in some cases thats not always the best choice either). I hope that my sons generation does not follow in the footsteps of todays teenagers. My second hope, todays teenages never reproduce and we hurry past them all together.
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