Being the Hope our Youth Needs
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Driving home from the ball game tonight my wife and I nearly hit a 10 year old kid on his bike. He decided he would play chicken with our multi-ton minivan. Needless to say we honked. What the hell is happening with the youth of today? I know they have been saying that forever but Sarah and I see it up close and personal every day we teach. A place it is getting particularly scary is in middle and high school. But back to my story … I flipped the car around much to my wife’s dismay since the babies were both crabby and crying since we left the game. I chased the kid into a culdesac and gave him my 2 cents worth on his little game. He said sorry and his middle school aged friends did their “chill out dude” thing (oh how I hear that in my sleep). I told him I was a teacher and if one of my students did that not only would I tell their parents but I would tell the police. I am sure they all had a good laugh at the bald guy who pulled over to blabber something. Nonetheless, that kid could die that way. I have reached down to get something and nearly hit the curb before, what if that was a kid? I was pretty upset about it.
My point of this short diary entry is not to disparage youth. It is the most beautiful time of our humanity in many ways. But we all need to be making u-turns and saying hello to the death rockers we pass in the mall et al. I just wanted to put that out to the blogosphere. What do you think about being the hope our youth needs?
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Tags: death, high school, humanity, juvenile delinquency, kid, middle school, school, youth
I'm Damien Riley, author and teacher. Here you'll find "think outside the box" posts on psychology and inspiration. 
This really is a hard thing to answer. I see youth every day, when I coach and here at the new job, and it’s so sad to see the decisions they’re making. I dont’ know if it’s getting worse or if I’m just getting “mature” enough to see it. I saw some of the students here passing each other a pot pipe the other day. Pot isn’t bad really, I don’t agree with it, but there’s worse things, but still. The thought that 16 year olds (and younger!) are doing drugs and wasting their time being high at school is so sad!
I always wish I could reach out ot them. Not to preach, but to just be someone they can talk to and see a good example in.
I think mostly, kids need someone to give them bounries. They really need it! As humans, we need something to be “right” and “wrong”, we need those boundries to know how to live and to give us directions. Kids also need someone to let them know what their full potential is, that they can succeed and that they are really smart individuals.
Ok, sorry, that was a bit long. I get pretty passionate about this subject (:
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Me too! And that is a comment we all can get behind and be passionate about!
I think we should go back to the “old days” when I was growing up and any and every neighbor would have no problem sticking their head out the window and yelling at any kid who was doing something wrong.
I’m glad you did that. Nobody does that anymore and sometimes kids need it.
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