Dates, Dads 'n Debates.. not to mention alot of Harry Potter
I have a migraine (again) so I'll make this entry short and snappy- or at least try. I need to eat my pasta, phone Nina back and read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as well. Oh, life is just SO hectic in the summer :P
Lets see.. finished my final exam of the year (math too- what a bittersweet note to end on). Spent friday lazing about doing pretty much nothing but reading Harry Potter and house cleaning. Not to mention sleeping in as late as possible.
Saturday was a big rush of shopping with Mummies and getting my hair trimmed. Then there was the double date thing with Nina and Mark. Before we went to see Harry Potter, we all went to the beach and hung out with Vivi and some kids from church. We hiked to Sandy Cove- which was interesting seeing I was wearing flip flops and a serong! Kinda cool though, I definitely would consider going back there for bonfires or something. It was tons of fun and the guys were gentlemen. However, Harry Potter.... *growls* Harry, Harry, Harry POTTER! *GRAR* Did NOT like the movie. Perhaps it was cuz I had just been reading the 3rd book that day, but the story went off topic, cutting and adding things they didnt have to left and right. Su, you were so right. The Ron-Hermione thing was way overdone, Hermione was totally too pretty, Dumbledore wasn't the same and... *cries* I know, I just shouldn't compare the movies to the books, but.. they slaughtered it!!!!
Today we went to Jody and Joel's church cuz Joel was preaching. All of my siblings came out and we had a picnic in Jody and Joel's backyard. My nephews were adorable, as usual. Bob and Dad had some good debates going- I totally enjoyed that. I fell asleep for a bit (really tired from the night before- came in late and mom almost bit my head off and grounded me for the summer- but don't worry, it was just a curfew misunderstanding (she thought I said 11, but I said 12) and all is good, except I'm bushed and kept falling asleep all day. Musta been the hike.) anyhow, that is I was asleep til Jody drenched me with a HOSE! They never grow up. I got a sex talk from Bob (possibly him hearing about the date?) but it wasn't much of a sex talk, more like "teens are horny" and "make sure you find a guy who likes you for the girl you are" .. brotherly advice stuff and yeah, y'know. Did I mention we were hidden in the bushes so he could have a cigarette without our darling nephews seeing him, at the time? LOL Bob is hilarious. I have such great brothers :P Totally going to Vancouver when I can..
So I'm so in trouble over this job thing. I just don't know what to do! Being gone in august makes it impossible to get a summer job. I'm desperate!
Okay this is really long, my head really hurts and my food is going cold. Before I go I'm putting in an LJ cut leading to an essay I wrote in English this semester for Jason. It's actually quite interesting, if I do say so myself. Anyhow, don't feel obliged to read it!
I couldn't help but overhear a conversation yesterday. I was sitting quietly on the school bus home, doing my best to ignore the shouting, screaming and penetrating odor of sweat socks. Two girl friends were sitting in front of me chattering loudly - nothing unusual on a bus- but what my caught my attention was the depressing manner that hung about the two. "Oh, he's just never going to like me," said one girl sorrowfully. "And I still don't have a date for the dance!" Her friend beside her sighed. "You think you have it bad? Tony refuses to go to dances with me, and he won't let me go alone. It's like he doesn't trust me at all! Like he should accuse me of ever being unfaithful! Have you seen him around Julia lately? If we break up, it'll be because of her." "I HATE guys!" said the other. "Me too!" said Tony's girlfriend. "We-ll..." she added, "may-be not Tony. I love him- I think."
"Do I love him?" "Will it work?" "Does he love me?" "Do you think I look fat in this dress?" "What if we break up?" "I need a boyfriend!" "I'm so lonely..." These common plaints should sound familiar. Do they appear slightly overdone and nauseating? They certainly should! Welcome to the high school world; a soap-ratic emotional institution full of raging hormones and utter confusion. Here, it would make sense that teens would avoid situations that would add to their ever growing stress load- right? Forget it. Not while "hot babes" and "yummy guys" roam the hallways. But there is nothing worse for a teenager than being in a relationship, or constantly striving for one.
The everyday plight of the average teen isn't caused from schoolwork, parents, pressure to drink or light up. No, if there is one thing a single teen has to struggle with, it is the constant craving for a signifigant other. This craving brings about volumes of trouble; depression, insomnia, stress, and even more extreme problems such as annorexia or taking steroids. Outside factors greatly contribute to this increasing so-called "need"; couples walking hand in hand in the hall, higher social standing teens with their boyfriend/girlfriend of the week, parents and friends constantly down your neck to "go out" with someone upon their recommendation. A single teen, especially one who has never dated before, can feel inadequate, lonely, and unloved- and all for no reason.
And really, what is "going out"? This middle schoolian concept has slowly pushed "dating" into oblivion. In this high school generation of teenagers, you do not date a series of different people over the course of a few weeks/month, but, rather, if you like someone, it is expected you will "ask them out" (which in adult terms is the equivilant of going steady). Yes, STEADY. Which means if you decline an offer to "go out" (steady), you may lose a friend. If you break up with them, you may also lose a friend. In either case, things will certainly become awkward. Just more complications to an overly complex life. What a lose-lose situation! And the couples who make it? They get the opportunity to face a world of jealousy and quarrels most teens are still too immature to deal with. So with the exception of the few lucky "perfect" matches, who is going to make it? A relationship that lasts over a year and a half is extremely rare, and the average break-up occurs only 2-6 months after "going out."
So how can a teen win? Staying single is so lonely and vulnerable. Dating steady, (aka "going out") is stressful and has an extremely high failure rate. The answer should be plain to see. Although the concept may cause a few teens to shudder, let us go back to the days of our parents. Life was simpler then, to a degree. Dating still meant a casual outing with a guy -no strings attached. You didn't have to go out with him again, meet his parents, kiss him, or tell him that you loved him. It was just a fun time! Double dating, drive-ins, bowling, dinner, a walk in the park- nice and casual. Half as many complications, half as many hurt feelings, and half as many problems. The pity is, casual dating is a now an outdated concept. Those who practice it are either labelled players or dreamers- not to mention they won't have much luck finding other people with their mind set.
Today's times are just making it harder and harder on its youth. Kids are becoming too serious too soon, and are ill-equipped to deal with adult situations. The disappearance of good old-fashioned fun with the opposite gender has pushed, shoved and crushed today's teenagers, and it won't be long until something is going to have to change.
NOTES:
*All italics are intentional, their use being to put young teenage girls' common melodramic emphasis on words.
*As McDowell says, I read into things too much. I am in no way obsessed with this concept (for once).
*I'll admit I'm a hypocrit now before anybody points it out.
Lets see.. finished my final exam of the year (math too- what a bittersweet note to end on). Spent friday lazing about doing pretty much nothing but reading Harry Potter and house cleaning. Not to mention sleeping in as late as possible.
Saturday was a big rush of shopping with Mummies and getting my hair trimmed. Then there was the double date thing with Nina and Mark. Before we went to see Harry Potter, we all went to the beach and hung out with Vivi and some kids from church. We hiked to Sandy Cove- which was interesting seeing I was wearing flip flops and a serong! Kinda cool though, I definitely would consider going back there for bonfires or something. It was tons of fun and the guys were gentlemen. However, Harry Potter.... *growls* Harry, Harry, Harry POTTER! *GRAR* Did NOT like the movie. Perhaps it was cuz I had just been reading the 3rd book that day, but the story went off topic, cutting and adding things they didnt have to left and right. Su, you were so right. The Ron-Hermione thing was way overdone, Hermione was totally too pretty, Dumbledore wasn't the same and... *cries* I know, I just shouldn't compare the movies to the books, but.. they slaughtered it!!!!
Today we went to Jody and Joel's church cuz Joel was preaching. All of my siblings came out and we had a picnic in Jody and Joel's backyard. My nephews were adorable, as usual. Bob and Dad had some good debates going- I totally enjoyed that. I fell asleep for a bit (really tired from the night before- came in late and mom almost bit my head off and grounded me for the summer- but don't worry, it was just a curfew misunderstanding (she thought I said 11, but I said 12) and all is good, except I'm bushed and kept falling asleep all day. Musta been the hike.) anyhow, that is I was asleep til Jody drenched me with a HOSE! They never grow up. I got a sex talk from Bob (possibly him hearing about the date?) but it wasn't much of a sex talk, more like "teens are horny" and "make sure you find a guy who likes you for the girl you are" .. brotherly advice stuff and yeah, y'know. Did I mention we were hidden in the bushes so he could have a cigarette without our darling nephews seeing him, at the time? LOL Bob is hilarious. I have such great brothers :P Totally going to Vancouver when I can..
So I'm so in trouble over this job thing. I just don't know what to do! Being gone in august makes it impossible to get a summer job. I'm desperate!
Okay this is really long, my head really hurts and my food is going cold. Before I go I'm putting in an LJ cut leading to an essay I wrote in English this semester for Jason. It's actually quite interesting, if I do say so myself. Anyhow, don't feel obliged to read it!
I couldn't help but overhear a conversation yesterday. I was sitting quietly on the school bus home, doing my best to ignore the shouting, screaming and penetrating odor of sweat socks. Two girl friends were sitting in front of me chattering loudly - nothing unusual on a bus- but what my caught my attention was the depressing manner that hung about the two. "Oh, he's just never going to like me," said one girl sorrowfully. "And I still don't have a date for the dance!" Her friend beside her sighed. "You think you have it bad? Tony refuses to go to dances with me, and he won't let me go alone. It's like he doesn't trust me at all! Like he should accuse me of ever being unfaithful! Have you seen him around Julia lately? If we break up, it'll be because of her." "I HATE guys!" said the other. "Me too!" said Tony's girlfriend. "We-ll..." she added, "may-be not Tony. I love him- I think."
"Do I love him?" "Will it work?" "Does he love me?" "Do you think I look fat in this dress?" "What if we break up?" "I need a boyfriend!" "I'm so lonely..." These common plaints should sound familiar. Do they appear slightly overdone and nauseating? They certainly should! Welcome to the high school world; a soap-ratic emotional institution full of raging hormones and utter confusion. Here, it would make sense that teens would avoid situations that would add to their ever growing stress load- right? Forget it. Not while "hot babes" and "yummy guys" roam the hallways. But there is nothing worse for a teenager than being in a relationship, or constantly striving for one.
The everyday plight of the average teen isn't caused from schoolwork, parents, pressure to drink or light up. No, if there is one thing a single teen has to struggle with, it is the constant craving for a signifigant other. This craving brings about volumes of trouble; depression, insomnia, stress, and even more extreme problems such as annorexia or taking steroids. Outside factors greatly contribute to this increasing so-called "need"; couples walking hand in hand in the hall, higher social standing teens with their boyfriend/girlfriend of the week, parents and friends constantly down your neck to "go out" with someone upon their recommendation. A single teen, especially one who has never dated before, can feel inadequate, lonely, and unloved- and all for no reason.
And really, what is "going out"? This middle schoolian concept has slowly pushed "dating" into oblivion. In this high school generation of teenagers, you do not date a series of different people over the course of a few weeks/month, but, rather, if you like someone, it is expected you will "ask them out" (which in adult terms is the equivilant of going steady). Yes, STEADY. Which means if you decline an offer to "go out" (steady), you may lose a friend. If you break up with them, you may also lose a friend. In either case, things will certainly become awkward. Just more complications to an overly complex life. What a lose-lose situation! And the couples who make it? They get the opportunity to face a world of jealousy and quarrels most teens are still too immature to deal with. So with the exception of the few lucky "perfect" matches, who is going to make it? A relationship that lasts over a year and a half is extremely rare, and the average break-up occurs only 2-6 months after "going out."
So how can a teen win? Staying single is so lonely and vulnerable. Dating steady, (aka "going out") is stressful and has an extremely high failure rate. The answer should be plain to see. Although the concept may cause a few teens to shudder, let us go back to the days of our parents. Life was simpler then, to a degree. Dating still meant a casual outing with a guy -no strings attached. You didn't have to go out with him again, meet his parents, kiss him, or tell him that you loved him. It was just a fun time! Double dating, drive-ins, bowling, dinner, a walk in the park- nice and casual. Half as many complications, half as many hurt feelings, and half as many problems. The pity is, casual dating is a now an outdated concept. Those who practice it are either labelled players or dreamers- not to mention they won't have much luck finding other people with their mind set.
Today's times are just making it harder and harder on its youth. Kids are becoming too serious too soon, and are ill-equipped to deal with adult situations. The disappearance of good old-fashioned fun with the opposite gender has pushed, shoved and crushed today's teenagers, and it won't be long until something is going to have to change.
NOTES:
*All italics are intentional, their use being to put young teenage girls' common melodramic emphasis on words.
*As McDowell says, I read into things too much. I am in no way obsessed with this concept (for once).
*I'll admit I'm a hypocrit now before anybody points it out.