On the X28 bus this morning, there were some young girls headed to Hyde Park Academy High School, who were talking loudly, cursing and being obnoxious and raunchy. I was initially irritated, then I thought back to the days when I was that age. I too thought being loud and cursing was cool and cute. I also thought being raunchy made me seem more mature, it didn't. The issue with young girls is all of the stuff they face: changing bodies, hormones, boys (or girls) and in today's world, it can be even more exaggerated. The girls discussed watching the t.v. show 'Bad Girls'. I cringed. Of all shows to watch, this is not a good one. These girls, to add fuel to the fire, are urban girls. In a city with high crime and low graduation rates, this is a critical time for girls. Shows depicting angry and ignorant women, especially of color, can be detrimental to an already sensitive maturation period. I ache for today's girls; the same way I'm sure older women ached for me. I cringe when I think about how 'cool' I was (or thought I was).
Later on today...
I was talking to two of my co-workers today and one of them, a man, said something that brought home my thoughts on the rowdy girls on the bus. Not knowing about the morning's events, he said: 'You are the most fertile from 16-25, the same time you are the dumbest.' Whoa! I never really thought about it, but it brings to mind the saying, 'youth is wasted on the young'. He continued, saying that you make these critical decisions that affect the rest of your life when your hormones are raging and you know nothing. Well that about sums it up, don't you think? Hug a girl (or boy) today, Lord knows they need it.
No comments:
Post a Comment