For three years now TheEnergyLadyUK has been blogging about energy issues.
Now, let’s look at a different form of wasted energy. That is the tremendous amount of energy that teenagers have to expend without upsetting the older generation or giving a bad example to younger children. Just as their hormones are raging and their brains tend to sink below their belts we shut them in schools. Well meaning teachers try to convince teenagers that you need to pass exams to get anywhere in life. Few positive effects there. It’s often not until the teens reach their mid to late twenties that they realise they could have missed their chances and could be heading for the scrap heap.
Many teens have and always will have unenviable and often ‘nuisance’ life styles.
Lets look at what teenagers like to do.
Belong to a tribe or team eg. Join a gang, support a sports team, follow a particular music group.
Try new things eg. The way they dress, dallying with substance abuse.
Try to shock their elders eg. Dress, alcohol use, smoke, think they invented sex.
Teens get bored – very easily e.g Hang out on street corners, use childrens’ play areas that are too small for them. Also heard to say
“I’m bored”
“They don’t give us anything to do”. Who are they? – blank look.
Many teenagers lack confidence, lack imagination, don’t know what goal setting means, have had to grow up with inadequate role models from a young age.
So, What to do? Throwing money at problems rarely works – the Country is broke anyway. If it’s not the bankers it’s a war somewhere that drains our cash away.
We need to find something that will –
Give them an established team to belong to for support and loyalty.
Allow them to “Be themselves” during leisure time. Dress as they please and behave as they please within the law.
Provide social facilities where possible.
Provide any teaching that may be needed and teach them a trade.
Feed them a balanced diet.
This seems like paradise. But, while there is a war somewhere and politicians know they could run that country better, paradise it is not.
I should add here that I am not and never have been a member of a Political Party. I was a secondary school teacher. I have seen substance abuse, poverty, deprivation, violence, homelessness – Mother let his room while he was at school, trauma – child coming into school because there was nowhere else to go after she had seen her father strangle her mother to death. The child blamed herself because she couldn’t remember the number to call. All this was in the affluent S.E. of the UK in the 1980’s.
Then we wonder why many of our teenagers are a mess!
You will have guessed my answer by now – CONSCRIPTION
Conscription provides the five needs set out above. So where will the money come from when the Territorials are having their training budget slashed?
Lets make a list of the savings.
Reduced law and order problems at night due to alchol and accompanying violence.
Reduced Social Security Payments
Reduced National Health time and resources.
Less damage to others’ property
Less Local Council costs
Reduced obesity – comfort eating and lack of cooking skills.
Reduced pregnancy – The need to be loved without reserve
This my personal opinion and mine only. It is built from a life time of involvement with and observation of teenagers and their needs in our society.
You are welcome to comment , but any inappropriate posts will be removed.
