Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 10, 1992                   TAG: 9203100396
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH KIDS TODAY?

She's not alone. In 1990, the Children's Defense Fund gave us this snapshot of a day in the life of young America. It showed:

2,795 teens getting pregnant.

1,106 teens having abortions.

372 teens having miscarriages.

1,295 teens giving birth.

10 children dying from gunshot wounds.

30 children being wounded by guns.

6 teen-agers commiting suicide.

135,000 children bringing a gun to school.

7,742 teens becoming sexually active.

623 teens getting syphilis or gonorrhea.

211 children being arrested for drug abuse.

437 children being arrested for drinking or drunken driving.

1,512 teens dropping out of school.

1,849 children being abused or neglected.

3,288 children running away from home.

1,629 children in adult jails.

2,989 children seeing their parents divorced.

That's every single day in America.

What's the matter with kids today? The question recurs with every generation. But it's no overstatement that the current generation of young people seems caught up in an epidemic of social problems that other generations have not had to face. At least, not problems of such magnitude. At least, not at such an early age.

What to do, what to do? Collectively, grown-up America holds a magnifying glass over the problems of young people. It preaches; it pontificates; it calls for a restoration of morals, a proliferation of programs. And it can't understand why the problems of youth seem to get worse, not better.

Today, on the Commentary page, we offer a new feature that will appear from time to time. It's called Young Voices, but it's meant for adult readers as well as those in their teens.

Young people most affected by the disturbing trends represented in the numbers above need to be brought to the table where the issues are discussed and debated. Too often, their voices are left out. Too often, they're not heard even when they speak out.

To launch the feature, we asked 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds, in English classes taught by Dee Sheffer at Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville and by Dawn Dickinson at Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista, for their views on one problem close to their lives: teen-age pregnancy.

While we don't have space to publish all their letters, we were impressed by them all. The students know the story well - probably better than many of their elders. They know that a million teen-age girls get pregnant each year. They can recite social, economic - and personal - consequences.

Several letters cite peer pressure and the media's glorification of sex as contributors to teen-age pregnancy. Some emphasize the need to make birth control more accessible; others, the wisdom of abstinence.

Perhaps, in some cases, the teens are repeating facts and advice they've heard from parents, teachers or ministers. But some of the young voices express views clearly derived from personal experience and observation.

Hear the poignancy in Jane's voice? She describes the ostracism she felt when she got pregnant at age 15, and the conflicting emotions she now feels: loving her baby and wanting to be a good mother - but also wistfully missing the carefree lifestyle of her schoolmates. "All of the responsibility that has been thrust upon me has robbed me of my youth," she writes.

There is sensitivity in Brian Sizemore's voice: "I can not imagine what I would do if I had caused a girl's unplanned pregnancy. It would be hard for me to live with the thought that I was responsible for the creation of a child, so early in my own life."

Julie Wood's is a pithy voice: "The best solutions are abstinence, cold showers, ice and hobbies for those who have their sex drive in high gear."

To us, the most notable and powerful thing heard in several of the teen-agers' letters, published and unpublished, is an appeal for more meaningful communication with their parents. Typical were the comments of Christie Huffman: "Some teens think, `My parents don't care, so why should I?' Many parents don't spend enough time with their children or don't show them they care. Feeling unloved leads many young people to seek affection from their boyfriends or girlfriends."

The opinions in the "Young Voices" letters may please, or disturb, or surprise some adult readers - including the writers' parents. Whatever your reaction, whatever your age, we urge you to listen up.