In today’s society teenagers have to grow up and prepare for a world that is constantly changing.  A world that in itself, is immature and young.  In order for these teenagers to become fully prepared and equipped with the correct tools to take on the world they should go through some sort of passage or have to conduct a kind of ceremony.  One that tests them to make sure that they are indeed ready to go out into the world.

Right now teenagers are out in the working world blindfolded and with both of their hands tied behind their backs, literally speaking.  They don’t have near enough experience and education to put them at head to head competition with the rest of the working society.  The question that needs to be answered is what sort of passage or ceremony should take place for teenagers that will “test” their abilities for real life?  Teenagers live in a protective “bubble” from the outside world.  Their parents protect them from all the outside infections of the world.  Teenagers are provided with food, clothes, housing, medication, security, etc. at no cost from their parents what so ever.

The solution I came up with is rather simple.  Make the passage from teenage-hood to the real world like a game.  There are lots of board games out there that teach you a little  about the financial difficulties in life.  That’s exactly what we need.  A board game that teaches you life-like situations by playing a game.  It would be able to teach a teenager all the handfuls of life whether they are good or whether they are bad.  A game where they are aloud to pick their own occupation a draw cards for their fate.  Isn’t that what real life is like?  A “game” of unknowns, of uncertainties, and no definite promises?  Situations can be also be drawn from a deck of cards.  Situations may include:  having children, paying medical bills, deaths, and mortgages.  That’s exactly what life is all about after all.  Never knowing what will come up next and having the pressures of the little annoyances wear you down.

Teenagers also need to know that their parents will be there to support them (emotionally) and trust in their readiness for the world.  There are many times when a child leaves the security of their home for the outside world simply because of their parents.  Maybe there are problems in the home that push callow teenagers to the idea that they are better off on their own.  Parents need to realize that the schools can’t do all the educating for them.  There are things and lessons in life that must be taught at home.  Some of these lessons are very important, and sometimes are even more important than what they learn out of a book.  Sure, books teach quite a bit about history, math, and science but there is no book that exists in this world that teaches the emotional lessons in life.  The morals and the importance of a strong family are things a child cannot learn by reading about them.  These are the most important things in life, don’t you think?  Waking up every morning and wondering what trivial thing will hit you.  Of course there are sour apples in life but when you overcome those times you will find you are a stronger person.  It is often at our lowest points in life that we learn the most.  These low moments are the stepping stones in our long journey through our lives.

Teenagers need to be taught that the most important people in their lives is their family.  They are the only people in life who will always be there when needed.  They are the people who know all your faults, all your weaknesses but love you anyway. One can’t find too many people who would do the same.  It’s not that parents don’t know what’s going on in their children’s lives, but they just choose to ignore it sometimes.  The theory “I know that stuff goes on (alcohol and drugs) but my kid wouldn’t do that sort of stuff.”  That’s no helping the child out at all.  Teenagers need guidance and leadership no matter how old they are.  If they are going to go out into the real world someday, and they must be taught they things that they can’t learn from books.  Parents need to step up and accept their role and continue to teach their children from birth until the day they die.

I have told you what would be a good way to test teenagers for the real world but I also believe that on cannot really test anyone for real life.  Life is composed of experiences.  They must explore the world for themselves otherwise one has not really lived.  Teenagers need to be given a chance to “dip their feet” in the water of life instead of being expected to just jump right in.

Questions

Question 1:  Margaret Mead stated, “. . . the future of young people . . . were becoming less than they might be . . ..”  This is reminiscent to the modern Army recruiting commercial in that they both have the same basic idea of having young people to become all that they can be.

Question 2:  I believe that all of these issues are still strong issues today.  With all the different cultures in the United States I think that the importance of language spoken in the home is a big issue.  I do also believe that teenagers today feel some sort of family pressure on them whether it’s in sports or in academics.  Misconceptions about race and color are huge issues especially in the big schools.

Question 3:  Culture:  a particular form or stage of civilization.  I am a strong believer in                         that culture is man-made.  The problem is, is that I also believe in fate.  I think that man has a choice of what culture he wants to be a part of but he alone does not have the power to shape it to his desire.

Question 4:  A greater knowledge and control over the civilizing process.

Question 5:  It’s not that parents have to recognize what’s going on because I think the                       majority of them know what’s going on.  My teacher asked us if there had been drug exchanges in our school and just about everyone in my class replied with a yes. She seemed shocked in the answer but it makes me wonder if no one does really not know about that kind of stuff.  I wonder if people do know but they just shrug it off in denial.  A sort of “ I know it goes on but my kid would never do that kind of thing,” theory.

Question 6:  The first time I saw someone drunk was when I was a freshman and it was                        quite the interesting experience.  She was obviously drunk but continued to drink for some reason.  If only she could see how she looked.  The first time I saw someone with drugs it felt more like a dream than real life.  I really only thought that things like that only existed in the movies but I was definitely wrong.  Another time was an experience with alcohol.  Once again the girl was totally drunk and this time her mood had changed.  She was loud and almost unbearable.

Question 7: I think that there will never be a permanent solution to “plight of the black teenager.”  This country has been fighting about racism for years and years. I think there will always be an idea, a thought that we once thought of them as different so in our minds, that’s what they’ll always be.

Question 8:  Personally, I would not like to attend a single-sex private school.  School is not only meant to teach things that come out of a book.  When you attend school it should be for the books and the grades, but also for the socialization.  If you grow up around one sex your whole life how would that prepare you for the real world?

Question 9:  I don’t like to think of school as a prison because if I did I probably would                                  not be able to get myself out of bed in the morning to go there.  Kids need     to learn and that’s exactly what school is for.  Yet I also believe that not everything one needs to know about life can be learned in a book.  Kids need lots of hands-on experience in order to prepare them for the real world.                                                                                                       

Question 10:  It’s not that adolescents are not connecting to adults.  They are just trying                          to figure things out for themselves.  The world is constantly changing and                  it is not the same as when our parents were our age