EPILOGUE to "Me and the Girls"

E P I L O G U E


The pressures that teens must face today are enormously different than the pressures my generation encountered. Satellites have made it possible for news of the happenings around the world to be known almost as soon as they occur. Many times that news is bad, and it seems so overwhelmingly widespread that it can put a teenager into a state of depression.

Peer pressure is as important to a teen today as ever it was. Nowadays teens are exposed to drugs and sexual experimentation at an earlier age. If they've not had someone to talk to about the dangers of such experiments, or the proper perspective to place on peer pressure, disaster can overtake them before they know it. Sometimes this leads to tragedy.

Some parents today must both work to bring in extra pay to support the family. Many times this leaves teens with too much time on their hands and not enough parental supervision. This can be a cause of "lack of communication" between parent and offspring, and often leads to many family arguments.

I don't have any magic answers to any of these problems. Each situation is going to require different methods to work out satisfactory solutions. Two-way trust must be established between grown-up and teen, that I know! That is probably the most challenging aspect of being a parent.

There are two books that I've read that have excellent coverage of the problems that many teenagers face today. They are, "Letters to Judy" (What Your Kids Wish They could Tell You), by Judy Blume and published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, and, "The Teenagers Ask and Answer Book" by Lawrence and Betty Graham (a mother/son team), published by Julian Messner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Both of these books also have wonderful reference material.

The letters, of which this book is comprised, have helped me to understand teens better. Many of the instances of rebellion against parental authority, mirrored my own experiences as a youth, or brought to mind similar encounters between my daughter and myself.

I tried to pass on some of my observations to these girls in hopes it would make their situation understandable or at least bearable. I hope they feel they have benefited by the exchange of letters, I know I have. It has been a pleasure and honor to have their trust and friendship.

JEH