The Argus - Sentinel
September 21, 2006
Choices
By Deb Fowlks
Editor, Argus-Sentinel
I spent a recent Friday afternoon at Abingdon High School. I was there for an assembly and to be perfectly honest, I was fully prepared to be bored out of my mind.
But, life is full of little surprises and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. The Performing Arts Troupe MWAH!, (Messages Which Are Hopeful!) was at the school for a presentation that was nothing short of spectacular. While a part of me nostalgically misses my teenaged years from time to time; the friends, the fun, the lack of responsibilities, I would not trade places with a teenager in today’s world for anything.
Youngsters today have issues to deal with that boggle my mind. Frankly, it’s easy for us adults to sit back and tell them what they should and should not be doing. For the most part I think most of today’s youth know, deep down, what they should and should not be doing. Knowing the right thing to do and actually doing it are two different things, though. I remember how silly I thought people were when they would try to impart wisdom upon us that only comes with age and experience. My friends and I thought we knew it all and we thought we were invincible. I never believed in my heart of hearts that something bad would or could happen to me or anyone I cared about.
We were reckless at times. We participated in activities that were undoubtedly irresponsible and dangerous. We tempted the fates repeatedly and fortunately for us none of us suffered the consequences. The first time I realized I wasn’t invincible was about a year after I graduated high school and one of my best friends was killed in an accident. It was then and only then that it sunk in. It was a startling realization, to be sure.
MWAH! operates on the theory that teenagers and pre-teens are more likely to listen to their peers than adults, which I believe is absolutely correct. The presentation I attended was by far the most effective, inspiring and informative display I have yet to see and I wish everyone who is a teenager, pre-teen or a parent could see it as well. I don’t think simply telling youngsters, “Just say no!” is effective or realistic. It would be wonderful if that’s all it took, but common sense tells us that’s not a reasonable solution. I know as a parent of a teenager it sometimes feels as though we are both speaking a foreign language; unable to understand what the other is saying.
Teenagers are in the midst of what can be a trying phase in a person’s life. They aren’t little kids any longer, but they aren’t adults either. They're caught somewhere in the middle. They want to test their independence. Parents want to hold on to them, keep them safe and prevent them from making unnecessary wrong turns on the road of life. My daughter asked me the other day if I had ever done drugs. The answer was no. She asked had I ever thought about it, (believe me, I have Barbara Walters living with me).
The answer was yes. What kept me from doing drugs was not that I held myself to high moral standards or that I knew it was wrong. What kept me from partaking in this particular illegal activity was the fact that I was scared to death of what would happen if my volleyball coach found out. Knowing her as I know her, she would have found out and believe me I would have suffered the consequences, with the emphasis on suffer. I had to carefully weigh the options of being high and whatever that entailed with the prospect of getting caught. Fortunately for me, and my brain cells that I so desperately need, I made the right choice in that particular instance.
The MWAH! presentation emphasized to those gathered the importance of choices. Too often we feel we don’t have a choice. Pressure from our peers is a powerful entity. I’m sure many of us can relate to having done something we ordinarily wouldn’t have done simply because our friends were doing it. It takes a strong person, teenager or adult, to say no to something that everyone else is doing and encouraging us to do.
I think most of those students in attendance at the MWAH! assembly initially thought it was an opportunity for them to get out of class. As the program progressed, it was easy to see the students were as captivated as I was.
Will everyone whom attended the program make the right choices all of the time now? I doubt it, but I do believe the presentation gave the kids something to think about and they will be more likely to make better choices.
High energy hop dance was a featured part of the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe's issues-oriented performance at Abington High School.