Teenage Runaways
A news bulletin flashed across the television. Interrupting my favorite program, a news reporter announced, "Missing teenagers." The reporter went on to state that a group of young teenagers had been reported missing for the last twenty-four hours. It was later reported that the teenagers had run away, and they had left a note demanding more independence. The teenagers were from wealthier homes; therefore, the parents of the missing children could not understand the reason their children left home. The teenagers later stated, "We are almost grown; give us our space." Teenage runaways are becoming a problem in America. Each year, many teenagers run away from home because of troubles with discipline, communication, and attention.
The first girl that the news reporter interviewed said, "The discipline in my house is out of control." The girl continued to give examples to back up her statement. She said that she couldn't be two minutes late for her curfew. She would be grounded a week for every minute she was late. There were to be no phone calls after 9:30 p.m. She couldn't talk to boys on the phone at all. If she was caught breaking the rules, she lost all of her telephone privileges. She had to have an adult with her at all times. Her last statement was, "I know my parents are doing all of this out of love, but give it a rest. Let me grow up!"
The reporter asked another girl a few questions. The girl began the interview with the statement, "My parents do not understand me. I know they are trying, but give me a break. They want to talk to me all the time. Our communication is outrageous." The girl continued to tell the news reporter about the problem. She said that her mother wanted to know about everything going on in her life. Her mother wanted to talk about her sexual experiences; she wanted to know how it felt to be drunk, and her mom would ask her daughter to share her spiritual thoughts with her. "My mom wants to be my friend. I understand that, but some things are better left unsaid," the girl said in closing.
The last teenager that the reporter talked to was a young boy.
When teens are getting involved in multiple dangerous activities, parents usually get involved in straightening out their behavior. In this documentary, the parents are rarely shown, and when they are shown, they are not doing anything to stop their child’s behavior. The teens are having parties involving underage drinking, drugs, and other activities in their parent’s backyards. They are allowing illegal activity to go on right outside of their window.
think this is the case as, in spite of his arrogance, he does care for
Imagine living a tragic existence, not even two entire decades long. Imagine being controlled by an invisible, yet limitless puppet string conducted by “the stars”. When fate is your enemy and time reveals each unraveling tragedy to your dismay, you understand how it feels to be the protagonist’s of Shakespeare’s most famous love story, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Tradition, heredity, and ancestry symbolize the celestial psychology that is the stars. Controlling every miniscule detail of the play from human behavior to action sequences, to the ultimate climax of the tale. The power that fate has is surprisingly destructible yet inevitable to audiences as they come to realize the given characteristics that cannot be changed, even to avoid death. The moment Romeo and Juliet initially saw one another, they were sure their love was meant to be. This feeling was brought on because their love was the solution of the stars, or forefathers, to cure the rivaling families’ animosity. Fate contributes to the development of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by relating to astrological terms, human behavior, and fate as an agent of destruction.
Homelessness is a real serious health issue all over the world that must be addressed. A lot of people in a public frequently misunderstand the cause of homelessness. Remarks regarding homeless people such as “they need to just get a job” or “go to school” are normally used liberally by members of society because they neglect to look at the complete issue. Homelessness does not discriminate. Individuals that have previously experience or may experience being homeless can be from different regions, have different cultural backgrounds, ages, and could be of any gender. Minorities seem to be mostly affected by homelessness. A study done in 2012 found that the homeless population is consisted of 39% non-Hispanic Whites, 42% African-Americans, 13% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 2% Asian (Now on PBS, 2012). The End Homelessness website provides the following statistics:
Romeo and Juliet is widely known to be a tragedy, but what caused the atrocity for which it is so renowned? Some may argue fate was to blame for Romeo’s and Juliet’s deaths, that the situations these young lovers faced were depicted as being out of their control. Could Romeo have refused to attend the Capulet masque? Was Romeo destined to duel the raging Tybalt? Did Romeo and Juliet truly have to kill themselves? If one considers the specific circumstances and causes of these situations, the fact that all scenarios are the result of choice rather than chance, and the notion that the characters were never left without options, only one conclusion can be determined. It was unarguably the decisions made by characters, not those made by fate, that were responsible for the tragedy in Romeo and Juliet.
The Panacea Phenomenon project has consequences, that’s can cause problems depending on the young adult, because they may have a different way of learning speeds and behaviors, the comprehension levels are all different. Harsh discipline replaces anger and confusion among teenagers and their behavior. Parents have a big role to play in their teenager’s life, as some parent’s work all day leaving the kids being raised on their own, with nanny’s or other after care programs where kids can learn from negative influences from other kids. As studies have shown, television also has a negative influence on a teenager’s life by influencing their outlook on life with crime programs and violence. Many people have question if boot camp should be a short term program or a life style for juvenile delinquents; many have agreed that boot camp can help give them some type of structure, will help them later on life. In the United States (U.S.), the General Accounting Office (1993) reported that 26 states were operating 57 boot camps for young adults in the spring of 1992. Boot camps could hold up to a total of 8,800 recruits. The American Institute for Research (1993), appraised boot camps and found that the goal of juvenile boot camps where not made to punish offenders, but to rehabilitate them,
Moses, A. (1978). THE RUNAWAY YOUTH ACT: PARADOXES OF REFORM. Social Service Review, 52(2), 227-243. Retrieved from America: History & Life database.
...d do not get to see their parents until bedtime. In other cases, the child is left at home to look after and care for their younger siblings. As a result, they neglect school and their own childhood. The amount of hatred and distrust that must build up in that child is immeasurable. It is apparent that the “home-alone America” trend will create a breading ground for conduct disorder. Moreover, society is heading towards creating a generation who “may have little empathy and little concern for the feelings, wishes and well-being of others” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). A child’s attachment to, respect for, and healthy fear of their parents is essential to the child’s’ mental health throughout development. It is time that we take responsibility for our own children and ourselves because if we don’t, what will these children teach the next generation?
This article was interesting to read. This article makes me think about all of my siblings who I have seen grown up around me and I can relate the article to their life. One adolescent that comes in mind is someone who would have parents that would try to get involve in school work and other activities. The only problem was that the school climate and the friends that surrounded this adolescent didn’t help at all. This led to a lot of conduct problems like running away from home, smoking, and coming home after
Losing Generations: Adolescents in High-Risk Settings. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences. Petersilia, Joan. 1999. Parole and Prisoner Reentry in the United States. In Prisons, edited by M. Tonry and J. Petersilia. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press.
Once Olivia receives help, it is perhaps too late. In her senior year, she is sentenced to a juvenile camp, and is clearly out of place. “She is so different from the other girls (pg.312)”, her therapist says. “She was one of the rare kids we see who is focused on her future. I wish I could have started with her when she was twelve or thirteen (pg.312).” Olivia’s case illustrates a system that rather than providing guidance and support to abandoned children, it leads them into a criminal world.
There are about 3.5 million people in America alone that are homeless; half of these people are children between the ages of 10-17. Neglect, Physical, and Sexual abuse are some reasons most teens are on the streets. 20% of children every year are experiencing physical and emotional neglect by their parents, families, and best friends. They feel as if their not appreciated, wanted, or even loved. Most teens feel like they would be better without their parents and decide to run away. The crime rates are outrageous on the street! As a result, 5000 teens die every year due to high risk anxiety, depressions, post traumatic stress, and disorders. The growth of homelessness was increasing 8.5% per month each year. Causing the Government to loose over 4 million dollars. Lots of teens are often beaten and raped everyday. The majority are female. 96% of females on the streets are often fatherless and easily taken advantage of by older and younger men. Because they are fatherless, they don’t know how to be treated, and allow men to beat and have unconsensual sex with them. For awhile these teen girls feel like these men are doing this out of love and care, until the beatings and forced relations get WORSE! When these teens find a way to escape from their abusive relationships, they find themselves on the street selling their bodies for survival. Studies show that 3 out of 4 female teens under the age of 15 are forced into prostitution while living on the streets. These teens deal with the risk of kidnapping, Aids and STDs. According to the justice system of missing persons, 1 out of 4 teens are abducted everyday trying to steal, trespass, and sell their bodies. Living on the streets and catching viruses and Aids is commonly fo...
The rate of American teens leaving home has continued to rise each year. The United States must educate more young people about the dangers of leaving home and living on your on the streets. Runaway teens encounter problems such as drugs, violence, and reliable resources.
As I walked out of the courthouse and down the ramp, I looked at my mom in disappointment and embarrassment. Never wanting to return to that dreadful place, I slowly drug my feet back to the car. I wanted to curl up in a little ball and I didn't want anyone else to know what I had done. Gaining my composure, I finally got into the car. I didn't even want to hear what my mom had to say. My face was beat red and I was trying to hide my face in the palms of my hands because I knew what was about to come; she was going to start asking me questions, all of the questions I had been asking myself. Sure enough, after a short period of being in the car, the questions began.
Teens today face a lot of pressure. Many students deal with difficult life situations that hinder them from focusing on their futures. This can lead to a loss of interest in school and school events, such as a sports, clubs, or after school programs. Teens start to prioritize other things over their education. Every year, over 1.2 million students will leave school without earning a high school diploma in the United States alone (“11”). That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (“11”). The United States, which used to have the highest graduation rates of any country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries (“11”). Students may not realize that by dropping out of high school they are more likely to commit crimes, become parents at a young age, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and live in poverty (“Drop”). Dropouts make up the majority of those