Give teens something to do

[Max]

Massa Thomas wrote:

<quoted text>
While its true that efforts were made to ban rock and roll in its early stages, we never had waves of armed robbers resembling Van Halen or Iron Maiden roaming our streets and disrupting so many innocent lives. Its safe to assume that the hooded gold tooth goblins that are destroying quality of life in Vallejo are influenced by the negative lyrics of rap music. If you plan to be sitting on your porch 30 years from now thinking about the good ole days, you better do it before sundown....

Yeah you did, or at least you thought you did. Remember the slick haired leather jacket wearing knife wielding "fonzi"esque toughs? The "gangs" from West Side Story? More myth than real, then and now.

[Vallejo Mom]

Here's what my elementary - and high school-aged children will do during the holiday breaks: 1. Read. Daily. A lot. 2. Get ahead in math. 3. Household chores, on a daily basis. 4. Prep for the SAT (my 10th grader) and the Subject Exam in Biology, which he'll take in May. 5. Visit family and friends. 6. Volunteer -at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving and by adopting a family for Christmas. In other words, they have structure and are not hanging out, and when they do hang out, it's only after everything else is completed. While I understand the importance of having activities for teens, the options that exist for today's teens are the same as the ones that existed for me as a teenager. Crime is not the result of lack of options; crime results from the lack of a moral compass.

[Oh Brother]

Vallejo Mom wrote:

Here's what my elementary - and high school-aged children will do during the holiday breaks: 1. Read. Daily. A lot. 2. Get ahead in math. 3. Household chores, on a daily basis. 4. Prep for the SAT (my 10th grader) and the Subject Exam in Biology, which he'll take in May. 5. Visit family and friends. 6. Volunteer -at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving and by adopting a family for Christmas. In other words, they have structure and are not hanging out, and when they do hang out, it's only after everything else is completed. While I understand the importance of having activities for teens, the options that exist for today's teens are the same as the ones that existed for me as a teenager. Crime is not the result of lack of options; crime results from the lack of a moral compass.

I wish I could nominate you for Mother of the Year!

[Eva-Maria]

All you adults are crazy!!!

The girl had an absolutely valid point...she had a genuine concern and all she wanted was to be heard...what happened to freedom of speech you all vouch for in this world anyway?

May I remind you ALL that you were teenagers at some point in your lives. You trash talk teenagers, putting them all down to pot smoking vandals, but just for a second, think about the teenager you were or the teenagers you knew - were you, or your friends ALL pot smoking vandals ALL THE TIME? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Get a life you oldies - if adults had a bit more cooperation, and weren't stuck in your whiny old rut "we didn't have this and that when we were teens, and no one cared about us so let's stand in the way of teens today, just like our parents stood in our way and complain about how bad they've become"

Seriously - you're ADULTS - you're MATURE! You already KNOW what it's like to be a teen - you already know about boredom, seriousness of drugs, unprotected sex, whatever!! You've already been there - why can't you HELP US?!
Teach us!!

You complain that we're whining about boredom, so you say "We were teenagers once and we always had stuff to do" Woo hoo - good for you - now tell us about what YOU did during that time to not be bored, because quite frankly, Dennise is SO right - there's NOTHING TO DO, and if adults can tell us what we can do to entertain ourselves - we'd be happy to atleast take it onboard. But you're all sitting there, too cool for us, not helping or sharing anything, so all you do is whine about how 'terrible the teens are today'.

And there's nothing to do because all you adults make pitiful entertainment for teens, then charge us HEAPS to feed your fat bums, and then complain when we raise our hands up and say "what can we do about this boredom" because we're broke and bored, thanks to the world YOU made for us to live in!

Seriously - this girl posts a genuine post, looking for answers and help, and the majority of you shut her down. If you were in her shoes - seriously - what hope would that give you in tomorrow?!
You all shut down teenagers, and then they grow up and shut down the next generation of teenagers because it's a domino effect.
Grow some balls, guys!
We're not in prehistoric times - have some pride and respect for one another. Not all teenagers suck - you were one once too, and I'm sure you were still a human being. I hope you know that.

[Vallejo Mom]

On the contrary, I have a great deal of respect for teenagers. I have one in my own household and I think that he is a really cool person who is a typical teenager, but also has decent values and a decent attitude toward the role of adults in his life. I don't, however, have a great deal of respect for whiners. Boredom is a relative concept. Not all teenagers are bored. Lots of teenagers find plenty of interesting things to do in town. But not all of the options in Vallejo are interesting to some teenagers. Some want more. I get that. But the problem is that teenagers don't look to themselves to solve these problems, and too many of them assume that their boredom is our collective problem, and it isn't. The problems that you describe for teenagers are not unique to this generation - these were problems for my generation as well. But we can't help teenagers become good, productive adults if we indulge their whining about boredom. There are plenty of things to do in Vallejo that teenagers can seek out and find but they may not include "hanging out". They may include volunteer work, or participation in community activities, as other writers have suggested. But offering teenagers advice on ways to improve their "hanging out" opportunities is not something that I - or other adults, I imagine - wish to provide.

[BigDaddy]

Grew up WITHOUT bil gates in my life!

Played outside.

fixed up the GTO and crused.

Went to Dan Foley, Blue Rock Springs.

Started baskeball and softball games at the local high schools.

No BILL GATES during the good times in Vallejo!!!

[Dirt]

Been watching this topix for a few... I just do not get it. Another youth expecting the world (your tax dollars) to solve everything rather than stepping up to the plate. We used a pillow wrapped in duct tape for a football at the park. A broom stick and a wad of duct tape for baseball.(No, I am not kidding & we were in the ghetto) We found plenty to do, and other than *****, none of us got into trouble.

ps:***** is not Dutch!

[Jake]

So being bored is an excuse to acting a fool? There's plenty of things to do. Kids these days are just too stupid and/or lazy to find them.

[just a random person]

i bet if teens had things to do such as hanging with friends and doing decent stuff or even helping their friends family and neighborhood and they werent left alone and were helped out asap they would be better