Riding out The Storm: Talking Points #4

How does this article relate to me? Well, it doesn't- I was a perfect teenager:) However, it does relate to my sister. Let me count the ways:

The Storm

Rebecca Raby speaks on page 431 about teenagers' unpredictability and upheaval during this stage of teenhood. Well, when my sister entered middle school, it was like, in her mind, my parents and I became instant enemies. The screaming, yelling, hitting, swearing, disobedience, apathy, anger, slamming of doors, and all out hatred for her once-loved family became quite apparent. This was a storm that my parents and I never saw coming.

Becoming

"The Promise" was something we often yearned for during my sister's teen years. I used to tell my parents, "One day you will get your daughter back." My aunt once told me, "Believe it or not, you and Lauren will be best friends one day." I didn't believe her, but in a way that did come true. Raby refers to British youth researcher F. Musgrove on page 434 as Musgrove "likened adolescence to colonized peoples who are in revolt." I couldn't have said it better myself:)

At-Risk

Raby speaks on page 435 about the different types of stressors that can accompany adolescence, such as drugs, alcohol, depression, eating disorders, sexual diseases etc. As I read this section, I remembered how these stressors were evident with my sister's first party when she came home "tipsy" from having her first few drinks and when my parents had "The Talk" with my sister about her and her boyfriend about sex and "The Pill."

Social Problem

Raby refers to an article in George titled, "Why kids are ruining America" where it states the following: "Teens are running roughshod over this country-murdering, raping, gambling away the nation's future-and we have bills for counselling and prison to prove it." My thought process switched from my sister's delinquency to my students'. I felt that I was heavily influenced in a positive way when I was a teenager and so was my sister for that matter. Today, I constantly think to myself, "Where are the positive tv shows now for kids to learn from?" We are living in a world of Reality TV, Crime, and Dramas. I often think, "If there were some better things for the kids to watch on tv then maybe these kids wouldn't be so misguided? I remember learning a great deal from TV shows when I was young. Back then, you would see characters mature, plots become more relatable, and morals were absorbed in a matter of 30 minutes. Take a look at this montage from one of my favorite shows, "Growing Pains (1985-1992)" In this montage, it shows various female adolescent issues that "Carol Seaver"(Tracy Gold)endures throughout the series and are mostly explored in this week's reading(oh, and yes, that IS Brad Pitt, ladies. He did get his start on this show- as did Matthew Perry and Leonardo Dicaprio...but I digress):




Where is that now? Would that make a difference? In fact, name one television show airing in 2011 that a teenager could actually learn a lesson that would teach them ways to cope with problems.