I don't think all young people are yobs. I don't even think that they need to be 'involved' in something for them to be good kids. Half the kids I see hanging around streets by mine are just killing time. I did the same thing when I was a kid, just hanging out with mates around by our houses, not doing any harm but just having a laugh.
I love listening to younger lads speak as well, the way they talk to eachother is hilarious sometimes.
Me and my mates done the same. Just sat on a wall or hung around in a park havig a laugh and killing time. We wasnt hurting anyone.
Its the media these days reporting all the bad things some teenagers do so every one gets tarred with the same brush. For example in the paper you could see a couple of teens who have caused trouble dressed in a baseball cap and trackies and so people call all teens who wear trackies and baseball caps loud mouthed trouble making 'chavs' (hate that word)
Most teens are a bit loud but then how many of us werent when we were teens?
I'm currently 13 years old, having just finished year 8 and already I sense a change in most of my classmates. At the beginning of year 7, many seemed narrow minded and pretty dull in their general day to day lives, as I gathered from their conversation. However as time has gone on, more and more are taking in the world around them, care about their future and current events.
By the end of the year, our weekly citizenship debates had become so full of opinion and open-mindedness. We DO in fact care!
My brother is nearly 15 and he, his girlfriend and some of his other friends are polite and always happy to help out. He is a credit to his generation, I can't fault how he is with my 2 sons and they love him to bits
When our youngest son was about 14, he'd get off the bus to go and visit his Gran in the care home every week. She'd smile at him but didn't have a clue who he was . He'd stay and talk to her for about an hour and then push her in her wheelchair to the dining room and help the staff to push the other residents.
It might not sound like much, but the place was full of elderly often distressed people, it often smelt quite unpleasant and it can hardly have been easy trying to make conversation with an old senile lady.
When our youngest son was about 14, he'd get off the bus to go and visit his Gran in the care home every week. She'd smile at him but didn't have a clue who he was . He'd stay and talk to her for about an hour and then push her in her wheelchair to the dining room and help the staff to push the other residents.
It might not sound like much, but the place was full of elderly often distressed people, it often smelt quite unpleasant and it can hardly have been easy trying to make conversation with an old senile lady.
I thought he was a hero. Still do.:)
Sometimes the small things count so much and it shows that youngsters do care and do good things.
My two (18 and 13) are lovely too. My son has done volunteer work for the Scottish Youth Parliament, organizing youth events etc, loved it. He's a very kind person, very quiet and shy and hates any form of violence in the real world (loves a bit of violence on the X Box mind you but he has the common sense to dis-associate violence on screen with the real thing, which I think is where many of the teens today go wrong!)
My daughter is still only 13 so still a bit "naughty" but she has a kind and compassionate nature and once she's through her "hormonal bit" I have every confidence that she will turn into a very decent adult.
I think a lack of compassion for other people is largely what is wrong with the world today. To teach young people compassion is one of our most important duties as parents. There is too much anger and selfishness in the world.
I read an article in the Evening Standard a while back regarding youth and crime, which made the point that, seeing as most youth crime is committed against other youths, it's likely that the educated ones who come up as politicians and judges etc will be more liberal than there parents regarding many things, but far more intolerent of crime and violence than this generation. It'll be interesting to see if it pans out like that, I hope so.
I worked in a secondary school for about 9 months last year - I had forgotten
just how funny and lovely most teens are!
The loiterers and the menacing ones are out there - but they are also truly
outnumbered by the good uns! Sadly'bad' makes headlines ' fab' just doesn't.
I think it is so much harder to be a teen now - so much is demanded of you in a way
that most people over 35 didn't experience in those years, and the peer pressure - oh cripes! :eek:
As a cricket umpire I do a number of games at posh school and county junior sides. I also see a lot of young people involved in league games.
They are invariably polite and well behaved ( even when I give them out) It is pleasing to see them enjoying a worthwhile sport, even though it makes me jealous that I no longer can:o
I do an awful lot of charity work.. or have done in the past anyway.
Just got back from a pilgrimage to Lourdes where we were helping to sick and disabled..
But I'm not the only one! Of course there are thousands upon thousands of fantastic young people!
It's a perennial situation. Middle aged people always believe that the young people of today will drag down the whole of society. They thought that in 1808, 1908 and they still do.
Our media is very negative about every group in society - I suppose 'young lad helps gran across road' won't sell many papers. Nor does 'old lady spends nice day out shopping'. You only read about the ones that were mugged. Most news stories are about crimes. It is interesting that if a teenager dies in a car accident then they were always a star pupil with a bright future, talented in some way, a perfect son or daughter. You don't read headlines that say 'horrible, useless, thick kid dies so no loss to society'. It's the nature of the media.
All the young people I know are doing well at school, university, with few issues. They are very private.
Comments
Me and my mates done the same. Just sat on a wall or hung around in a park havig a laugh and killing time. We wasnt hurting anyone.
Its the media these days reporting all the bad things some teenagers do so every one gets tarred with the same brush. For example in the paper you could see a couple of teens who have caused trouble dressed in a baseball cap and trackies and so people call all teens who wear trackies and baseball caps loud mouthed trouble making 'chavs' (hate that word)
Most teens are a bit loud but then how many of us werent when we were teens?
By the end of the year, our weekly citizenship debates had become so full of opinion and open-mindedness. We DO in fact care!
It might not sound like much, but the place was full of elderly often distressed people, it often smelt quite unpleasant and it can hardly have been easy trying to make conversation with an old senile lady.
I thought he was a hero. Still do.:)
Sometimes the small things count so much and it shows that youngsters do care and do good things.
My daughter is still only 13 so still a bit "naughty" but she has a kind and compassionate nature and once she's through her "hormonal bit" I have every confidence that she will turn into a very decent adult.
I think a lack of compassion for other people is largely what is wrong with the world today. To teach young people compassion is one of our most important duties as parents. There is too much anger and selfishness in the world.
There is however a sizeable chunk that spoils it. And they are NO different from their parents, and their parents' parents. They're called "scum".
Do you know what I like about them, the way they give each other a hug.
I would never have done that growing up though I would now.
So your a teacher, you just made me think of how my youngest has this fantastic rapport with her teachers and vice versa.
just how funny and lovely most teens are!
The loiterers and the menacing ones are out there - but they are also truly
outnumbered by the good uns! Sadly'bad' makes headlines ' fab' just doesn't.
I think it is so much harder to be a teen now - so much is demanded of you in a way
that most people over 35 didn't experience in those years, and the peer pressure - oh cripes! :eek:
Big thumbs up for all great teens!
They are invariably polite and well behaved ( even when I give them out) It is pleasing to see them enjoying a worthwhile sport, even though it makes me jealous that I no longer can:o
Just got back from a pilgrimage to Lourdes where we were helping to sick and disabled..
But I'm not the only one! Of course there are thousands upon thousands of fantastic young people!
Our media is very negative about every group in society - I suppose 'young lad helps gran across road' won't sell many papers. Nor does 'old lady spends nice day out shopping'. You only read about the ones that were mugged. Most news stories are about crimes. It is interesting that if a teenager dies in a car accident then they were always a star pupil with a bright future, talented in some way, a perfect son or daughter. You don't read headlines that say 'horrible, useless, thick kid dies so no loss to society'. It's the nature of the media.
All the young people I know are doing well at school, university, with few issues. They are very private.