Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 14, 1995 TAG: 9505190009
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now the stress begins.
For what has that little child who always grabbed your hand before crossing a street turned into? A teen-ager.
Not to malign teen-agers; bless their energy and enthusiasm, their exploring minds and budding independence. Still, at this confusing time when they are quickly growing into adult-sized bodies and facing adult-sized choices carrying adult-sized consequences, they may need adult supervision more than at any time since they were infants. Because adults they are not.
The entrance of large numbers of women into the paid work force has begun to revolutionize the way society's most basic structure, the family, works. Yet, 30 years after the latest phase of "women's liberation" rose to the surface, society has undertaken little institutional change to help the family adapt.
It needs the help. While the economy may have changed, children's needs have not. Adolescents still are immature - and maddeningly certain of their own maturity. Opportunities to get into mischief are greater than ever, at the same time as potential consequences are more dangerous than ever.
To drinking among 14- and 15-year olds, easy access to illicit drugs, and the cold reality of life-altering early pregnancies, add the threat of AIDS. The Wall Street Journal notes new research showing that most teen-agers who are sexually active had their first experience at home after school.
Working parents are understandably distracted. And, slowly, some companies are beginning to understand the damage this is doing to the bottom line, not to mention to the upcoming generation in the labor pool. Worried parents who aren't present mentally are less effective workers than they could be.
Many employers now allow flextime and limited telecommuting to help parents deal with conflicting demands. A few large corporations are putting serious money into developing after-school and summer programs to give teen-agers something useful and enriching to do during the hours they otherwise would spend on their own.
Such progressive policies and initiatives are commendable. But such an apparent and critical need as adult supervision for teen-agers should not be left to the piecemeal response of individual, enlightened employers. The kid whose single mom is working at a small business that doesn't even provide the family with health insurance, much less after-school programs, needs attention every bit as much as the kid whose parents work for a more family-friendly corporation. Employers cannot be expected to meet every social need that arises.
Schools, on the other hand, are a logical institution to help fill the need for after-school supervision. Yes, they would have to have more money to do it. But a youngster should have options after the school day other than to routinely go home alone - to spend hours unsupervised with the TV or, in some cases, drinking buddies or a boy- or girlfriend.
Not every kid has a parent at home, or a sport or club activity after school. How about longer school hours, or organized time for recreation, or even homework? Some teens are mature enough to handle totally unstructured time responsibly. Statistics on teen alcoholism, teen pregnancy and teens who are HIV-positive argue that too many are not.
by CNB