THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408190058
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN NUNEMAKER, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
IT WAS A typical Saturday night at Daniel Johnson's Kitty Hawk, N.C., house. Carloads of teenagers began pulling into the driveway at 10 p.m. By midnight, the place was crammed.
Everyone was partying.
Everyone except Daniel.
Instead, the host was in his bedroom rummaging through a tool box. Hammer, nails and piece of wood molding in hand, he pushed his way through a crowded, smoky hallway and flicked on a light.
Then over the blaring of Smashing Pumpkins on the radio and Blind Melon on the TV, Daniel yelled, ``Excuse me!'' and began hammering molding back on the wall.
Usually, parents are the ones worried about the house getting trashed. But Daniel, 18, is already the head of his household.
Each year scores of teenagers in North Carolina and Virginia move out of their parents' homes and into a world of adult responsibility, either by moving out with their parents consent or by becoming legally emancipated. Emancipation relieves parents of legal responsibility and gives the teen many rights of an adult.
Either way, teens who've tried it said living away from home is like bolting into adulthood.
While many high school students have to worry about prom, grades and impressing members of the opposite sex, teenagers like Daniel worry about making rent, paying the electric bill and buying groceries.
Not having a parent around ``causes a person to mature and grow up responsibility-wise,'' said 1994 Manteo High School graduate Patrick Skinner, who struck out on his own after his parents divorced and moved. He added, ``After a while, it really tires you out.''
Patrick listed some of the headaches: ``Cleaning the house, doing the laundry, budgeting money, paying bills, and getting up to go to school - not to mention having to work.''
Local school counselors said that many teenagers move out of their parents' homes because of family problems such as divorce; because their parents move to another area; alcoholism; abuse; or simple lack of communication.
``My parents got divorced. My mom moved to Franklin and my dad moved to Boone,'' Patrick said. ``I wanted to finish my senior year with all my friends that I grew up with.''
On the Outer Banks of North Carolina, even the weather plays a part. Jobs and money are scarce during the winter when the tourist industry goes dormant. This forces many people to seek employment elsewhere. If parents decide to move, their teenage kids may want to stay in the area to finish high school with their friends.
But some independent teenagers like Daniel, who graduated this spring from Manteo High School, do not chose to live on their own. Instead, they are forced to.
Daniel's father, with whom he had always lived, was killed in an accident in 1993. Daniel had the option of moving to Danville, Va., or Wilmington or Raleigh, to live with relatives.
``Because I wanted to finish my high school years at Manteo, I decided to rent a place on the beach,'' Daniel said.
Emma Ambrose, who attends Dare County Alternative High School, had other reasons. She moved out of her parents' house at age 15 and got married. Her relationship with her parents remains strong.
When Emma had a baby boy, her parents were very supportive. Emma said, ``I like living on my own. I never had any problems (at home), and I didn't move out to get away from my parents.'' KNOWLEDGE VS. FOOD
Manteo High School assistant principal Larry Hendrix said, ``I think (a student living on their own) is one of the most difficult challenges that a teenager could face.'' He added, ``Working, running a household, and going to school, I wish that it would never have to happen to any student.''
Regardless of where they live, students must continue to attend school up to age 16. After that, they can decide whether to continue their education.
Some emancipated and independent teenagers find working and attending school difficult, but they have to earn money to eat and pay the bills. Lots of them decide to give up their education and work. Others persevere.
Manteo senior Tom Bryant left home at 17, the beginning of his senior year. Like many independent teens on the Outer Banks, Tom attends the Dare County Alternative High School. The school allows students to accumulate hours instead of years toward graduation. For those who have to work full time to pay the bills, Dare County Alternative offers them a way to finish high school.
``I want to graduate more than anything. I'll move back into torment before I quit school,'' said Tom, who hopes to graduate next year. He added, ``That is my motivation factor.''
Many of these independent students also plan to go to college.
Daniel, for example, is leaving this month for North Carolina State University where he will study engineering. Patrick leaves this month for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he plans to study medicine.
Many of the independents said that the responsibilities are more than most teenagers realize.
``Living on my own isn't all that easy, in fact wondering how I'm going to get from place to place and where I will get the money from to eat and pay the bills really presents a lot of problems,'' said Kimberly Turner, a 1994 Manteo graduate. Kim first moved out of her parents' home during the summer of 1993, due to family problems, but later moved back in. When her parents moved to Florida, she stayed in Manteo because in Florida she would not have enough credits to graduate.
Even getting sage advice can pose a problem to the independent teens.
Without a parent around to talk to, most of these teenagers said they turn to friends, teachers and counselors. However, some still have a fairly good relationship with their parents.
``If I need some kind of advice, I can turn to my brother or my friends,'' Tom said, adding, ``I always have my mom to turn to.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Karen Nunemaker is a Manteo High rising senior.
DREW WILSON
Patrick Skinner of Kill Devil Hills eats a TV dinner instead of a
home-cooked meal. Skinner has lived on his own since his parents
divorced.
by CNB