THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 1, 1995 TAG: 9511010014
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
I am an eighth-grader at Great Neck Middle School. I read the report ``Troubled Teens'' (news, Oct. 13). I agree with the article's contents 100 percent. Being a teen, I know what goes on. The only way to understand what happens is to actually be with the kids and know what they are talking about.
About one-third of my friends in my school have tried drugs. Amazingly, that is exactly how many your article said have done so. Almost all of my friends have drunk alcohol, and that is more than the two-thirds the article concluded. Many of my friends drink alcohol because it is so easy to obtain.
Parents do not understand that their kids would ever do something like this, which is why it is so easy for the kids to do whatever they want. Parents shouldn't be on the kids' backs all of the time; they should just know where their kids are.
Most people think they know when they see a ``bad kid.'' That is very poor judgment. The people who use drugs are usually people you would never suspect. It doesn't matter what kinds of clothes they wear or what they look like. I would never have suspected that some of the people I know would ever use drugs, while the ones I did expect to didn't. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Your report has shown everyone what has really happened, and it is also very accurate.
JIMMY WALTERS
Virginia Beach, Oct. 16, 1995
Your report ``Troubled Teens'' was on target. I'm 14 years old and in the eighth grade.
Some of the people I know drink on the weekend, and some drink daily. The sad thing is that they're between the ages of 12 and 15 and are already destroying their lives.
Everyone I'm around smokes, and the store clerks sell cigarettes to them. The one thing that bothers me most is knowing a teenager my age has a gun, and that each day I step out of my house may be my last.
I've seen what drugs, guns, gangs and alcohol can do, but what hurts me the most is seeing kids killing kids.
FANTASY J. CRAVEN
Virginia Beach, Oct. 16, 1995
I'm a 14-year-old girl who sees things such as those reported in ``Troubled Teens'' going on every day.
Everyone's trying new things and introducing these things to friends, and so on. It's like a long peer death-chain. I believe that more and more younger children, age 10 and under, will start these bad habits in time, and our country will fall apart.
It's a sad subject. We the citizens of the United States need to fight it and find a cure. The report's suggestions - going to clubs and attending school - might work. If these institutions don't reach the kids, then we will have to work harder to find solutions.
KATIE GILMAN
Virginia Beach, Oct. 16, 1995
I read the article ``Troubled Teens.'' I am 13 years old and an eighth-grader at Great Neck Middle School. I can relate to the article in many ways. I have seen many things: Your article was very accurate.
From what I have seen, drug and alcohol abuse have increased greatly, especially in my age group. I think that teenagers have nothing else to do with their time because they can't drive and their parents are usually at work. Too much stress is put on teenagers, especially girls, and they think that doing drugs will make their troubles go away. The bad thing is that their troubles do go away for a short while, so they keep using drugs.
There is so much peer pressure these days. Teenagers feel that if they don't drink, use drugs or have sex, they will be rejected by their friends. Most of the time they are rejected even by their closest and best friends.
The solution starts with the family. Parents need to make sure that they have a close relationship with their kids and must always be there for them when they need to talk.
Maybe if politicians would start listening to teenagers who really know what is going on, there might start to be some progress. At any rate, we need to do something about this problem quickly.
RACHAEL TAYLOR
Virginia Beach, Oct. 16, 1995
I'm a 13-year-old girl who is against hard drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy, marijuana, etc. I think teens today are getting way out of hand. Bad music and peer pressure are some of the reasons why kids are doing this stuff.
Bad music, with lyrics that tell teens suicide is OK, is responsible for suicide among most teens. People listen to that junk. There is, however, good stuff on the other stations. A couple of good stations I like are 88.5 FM WODC and 92.9 FM WFOG.
Peer pressure is another thing. Teens tend to think that if everyone is doing something, then it is OK. Not everyone is doing drugs or having sex. If teens want a good life, a good reputation and good health, I would suggest not doing drugs or having sex before marriage.
If teens can't find anyone good enough to get involved with at school or in the neighborhood, I would suggest they get involved with a church activity or open a club at school to pursue the goals that they want to achieve. Maybe new friends will pop up there.
SARAH HARRISON
Virginia Beach, Oct. 16, 1995
Editor's note: The foregoing letters, submitted by teacher Eileen Frey, were among several written by Great Neck Middle School language-arts students. by CNB