I don’t believe that teenagers have the capacity to understand the magnitude of much of their experience.
Every day, I see young teens and pre-teens riding the public bus with me, presumably to school. Some days I notice that the kids get off on stops different from where they’re supposed to. Many days I feel embarrassed for these kids… they behave like they’re on a school bus, but they’re not. They’re traveling the RTD, with business people making their way to work, with homeless people who are riding to stay warm on a freezing cold day, with meth-heads, crack dealers, prostitutes, and foul-mouthed ignorants.
These kids talk provocatively, grind their hips into their seats while listening to their iPods, and discuss their dramas and business that the rest of the world doesn’t need to know. They are insecure little girls who hide behind their mouths, and fearful young men who present a facade of a pimp to protect themselves.
At eighteen, I was a fairly aware young lady. However, I still did not grasp the consequences of my behavior.
Every day, I see kids whose behaviors confirm that they don’t get it, either.
I had many of the same fears and insecurities. I am similar to these kids in that I had far more responsibility than I should have had at that age. Responsibility doesn’t equate understanding, though.
In the news, I read about teens who murder their families, who rape their friends, who sell narcotics. I know that it is not that we are raising murderous, hateful children, but rather we are not giving them the perspective and guidance they need in order to be protected from themselves.
I don’t think that a young child can quite understand why there is right from wrong… they have heard that some things are okay– if you don’t get caught. While I’m sure they learn much of this from their parents or from television, I don’t believe they’ve got enough experience, yet, to know the moral ethics behind why they do or do not do the things they think of doing.
Instead of being taught that television is filled with actors and special effects, they use it as an example of what Normal Is. I find this to be very sad, indeed.
Many adults are not fulfilling their responsibilities to these children. Perhaps it is because many adults had these children too young, and therefore the adults never really learned the difference between being a grown up and being a teenager.
Is there a solution to this problem? I haven’t really thought that far ahead. In identifying the problem, though, I think those of us adults who are aware of what the problem is have the responsibility to put our heads together and come up with a solution.
That being said, what are YOUR thoughts?
One Response to “We’re Failing the Children: It Takes a Village”
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February 5th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I couldn’t agree more. We ARE failing these kids! The problem lies with the parents. We are turning into the ultimate post-modern family - where everyone does their own thing - including the children. We don’t want to discipline them because it might damage their self-esteem. We want to be their friends - not their parents. And the talking between kids and their parents has totally broken down to where the parents assume their kids are doing the best but don’t bother to ask: their kids are more likely doing the worst. Raising young adults can’t be easy: it SHOULDN’T be easy.