Troubled Teens Resources

The world of today’s adolescents isn’t all about teen age drug abuse. A frustrated teen helps put another perspective out there afterbeing disappointed in discovering that a search for teen topics produced some unpleasant Google results.

It seems that Google associates the word ‘teenager’ most often with; addiction, drugs, alcohol, binge drinking, sex and violence. You know, the usual array of topics covered here. Because they do reflect an unhappy reality. But is also true that teens really are most associated with negatives, not only in what the press chooses to cover, but in the way that Hollywood chooses to portray them.

In order to set the record straight, the young writer offers the following statistics, and also asks that we give teenagers “a chance. Listen to our half of the story. You never know; we just might surprise you.”

“According to Josh McDowell and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

• “43 percent (of teenagers) talk to family or friends about religious matters in a typical day, (and) 41 percent talk to family or friends about politics in a typical day.” (1998)

• “70 percent of teens have daily conversations with their mothers about an important issue in their life.” (1998)

• “More than 90 percent of young people (16-19-year-olds) are either enrolled in school or employed, and 27 percent are both enrolled in school and employed.” (2003)

• “Teens describe themselves as: happy (92 percent); responsible (91 percent); self reliant (86 percent); optimistic about my future (82 percent); very intelligent (79 percent); and physically attractive (74 percent).”
(source)

Instead of the usual tales of teen age drug abuse, it’s nice to divert attention to some positive teen items for a change. Not every teen is a candidate for troubled teen boarding schools. A survey conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on what makes teens happy produced some interesting and reassuring results.

It seems that family and parents are the primary contributors to a teen’s sense of well being and happiness.

“They’re my foundation,” says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. “My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she’s still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed.”

Another result that seems to contradict prevailing wisdom about teens is that money isn’t a big factor in their sense of contentment.

“Money may make the world go around, but when asked what one thing makes them happiest, almost nobody in the poll mentioned money or anything material. Still, money does play a role in happiness.

Those who can’t afford to buy many of the things they want are less happy with life in general. Just under half of young people think they’d be happier if they had more money, while the same percentage (49 percent) say they’d be just as happy.”

And oddly enough, 92% of the 1,280 teens surveyed definitely intend to be married and have a family. I imagine this remark would put some feminists in a tither.

“I don’t want to be one of those career businesswomen who just doesn’t ever settle down,” says St. John, the New York high-school student.”

(source)