I have read a lot of articles recently which have the apparent aim of putting the fear of God into parents everywhere. If they are to be believed, our children are in for a terrible time. They are growing up too quickly. They spend all their time in front of a screen of some sort or another. They are inactive and overweight. Once they hit their teenage years (or even before that), they will inevitably be drinking too much, watching porn online, having sex with each other (a lot), and being pressurised into doing things they don’t want to do. They will have no respect for themselves or other people.
Depressed yet?! I was starting to feel somewhat helpless and despondent when reading the latest diatribe on this subject from some journalist or another. That same morning I walked to work as usual along the footpath that runs along the side of our local secondary school. As usual, I shared the path with a gaggle of teenagers on their way to school. As usual, I nearly passed out from the heady fumes of Lynx, testosterone, perfume and hairspray as they passed me. But then I was struck by a thought. These teenagers looked pretty happy. Most of them were smartly dressed and talking amicably to one another. Some of them even smiled at me and stood aside to let me past. Granted, a few dropped litter on the ground and I’m fairly sure that a group of girls were laughing at my animal-print rucksack, but then I probably would have done if I was them. Carry on reading…
Emma Tanner 