THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080054
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: TEENOLOGY
SOURCE: BY ALICIA LUMA, TEENOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
THERE ARE A thousand things in life that can be counted as blessings or curses. It depends on your perspective.
For example, younger brothers and sisters. Some of us are doting big bros and sistas, and some hold pillows over the little ones faces at every opportunity. But I don't think that the real dislike emerges until a parental unit places the child-guardians mantle on a set of free-to-fly teenage shoulders.
Oh, and if you have plans that evening and try to say ``no,'' the hubub gets worse. Threats of disappearing car privileges and family therapy, allowance hackings and permanent groundings fill a usually quiet house.
Do parents really think little Timmy is going to have fun shopping sale racks at the mall? Or that Suzy Q will enjoy checking out the new sales girl at the sports store?
Face it, if you have younger siblings (or even cousins), these situations will arise. So here is a list of things to do together without killing each other or being totally bored:
Grand Junction Ltd. in Virginia Beach or M&G Sales Co.(Army-Navy store) in Norfolk - I think little brothers are more interested in body bags and hand grenades than girlie-girls, but then again I really like them, so who knows?
Grand Junction is like a big two-floor room. On the first floor is a ton of weird electronic stuff and all these little signs trying desperately to explain what the things are. Body bags and gas masks are on the second floor.
M&G, meanwhile, has lots of stuff like inert hand grenades and museum-like displays of really old knives, combat gear and nifty old German Army helmets and boots. It depends on the child, but I'd say ages 8 and up would enjoy it.
Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, The Chrysler Museum in Norfolk and Virginia Living Museum in Newport News.
OK, this is the educational route. The Virginia Marine Science Museum has lots of water and wildlife related exhibits and would keep a child over 3 pretty entertained. Cost: $5.25 for adults; $4.50 for children 4 to 12.
The Air and Space Center will teach the Trekkie child what's really up, but 4 and under will get bored. Cost: $6 adults; $4 for children 3 to 11.
The Chrysler Museum jumps up a grade. It would be a very special 5-year-old who could appreciate six rooms of Tiffany glass. My guess would be 12 and older. Cost: donation.
The Living Museum has lots of live animals; specifically I remember skunks and a bald eagle. Any kid would like this place, age will determine how long. Cost: $5 adults; $3.25 for children 3 to 11.
Fishy, Trekkie, artsy, smelly. Got it?
Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach, or any old beach
I know it's getting cold, but we should have a few more warm days. We go to Kids Cove at Mount Trashmore and play hide-and-seek even when we don't have our little brothers and sisters, so imagine how much fun it would be with them.
At the beach, you can scout the shores for an attractive member of the opposite sex, swim or sunbathe. Depending on your sibs' ages, they can build sand castles, swim, play, dig or eat sand. Yea.
I hope you have found new ways to appease your parents and spend time with your beloved siblings. If you have anything that you feel is an activity worthy of recognition, let me know. Maybe I'll write a column on it, but I won't know if you don't call. MEMO: Alicia Luma's column appears twice a month in Teenology. If you'd like
to let her know what's going on, call Infoline at 640-5555 and enter
category 8989.
ILLUSTRATION: Alicia Luma is a homeschooled high school senior.
by CNB