I had become one of those 'old farts' that I had always sworn I would not become!
After having a few discussions on what could be better here in T-town, I heard comments like:
"We always get questioned just because we're hanging out."
"When I tried to ask for directions the guy turned and walked away!"
"I'm so tired of people saying I look like a freak!" (This from a young man with multiple piercings)
"They think because we're skateboarding that we're thugs!"
"This old woman yelled at us just for sitting on the curb!"
And the comments went on and on.
Where did I encounter these youngsters? They were in the outreaches of a parking lot I was going through and I stopped and asked them if I could ask their opinions about a few things. They were truly unprepared for one of us 'old farts' to stop and ASK them anything. They, obviously, are more used to one of us stopping and TELLING them something.
A few of the things I ASKED them about were:
What kind of response/comments do you get when you're just hanging out?
Do you think that people from MY generation (that would be grandparent age for these kids) are reasonable and fair when talking with you?
What do they anticipate as being the future of all the piercings and tats?
What were their opinions on what's taking place in Toledo?
What are they afraid of? (This took them by surprise)
Do they think that school is a waste of time?
The conversation lasted almost 30 minutes. And I have to tell ya - I learned ALOT. I learned that as I have gotten older, my mind had gotten narrower. I learned that while these kids looked different, they WERE NOT different. They are creative, inventive, intuitive, anxious, concerned, scared, insecure, and feeling lost.
In retrospect, they are feeling what I felt some 40+ years ago. Amazing! The looked different than we did back then, they had a language that was SO different than the slang we used way back then, and they were all carrying these weird boards with wheels. BUT - they were the same kids I had hung out with 'way back then' and will grow to be one of us 'old farts' that will question another generation's youth.
I related the theory of the Positrain to these youngsters and they were enthused! They lit up in hope that somewhere, somehow, someone will TRY to understand that while their emotions are no different than those experienced by US in our youth, that we can get past the superficial stuff and really make a difference when it comes to approaching, coaching, supporting and encouraging our kids.
Allllllllll Aboard!!!!! The Positrain is boarding on Track 1! Destination: Groundz 4 Change
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1 comment:
Ok, NOW I can post.
I think I have a unique perspective, but I hope I don't forget. My three kids have all been social and my house has been full of teens for the last decade. They are smart, some are sad and hurt, some are pie-eyed optimists. I love each one of them.
It is hard to see people being so hard on fragile youngsters who set such a value in how they perceive others' as seeing them.
So of course, I get obnoxious about it :-) Very defensive of my young people.
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