COMO TRATAR AL TENSION DE LOS JOVENES DE HOY

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE STRESS OF THE YOUTHS OF TODAY

I think things have gotten out of hand these days when we look at how the youths of today deal with the things that are happening in their lives.

I was young once and while I went through some sadness and great losses I don't recall having to get all the attention the youths of today seem to need to keep them in line. What kept us in line back in the day was the belt! I think that we were faced with the reality that there were limits to what would be tolerate from us.

I believe that the youths of today are faced with too many options and allowed to get way with too much. We allow them to do quite a bit of things because we say they are faced with so much hardships and disappointment. But when they become violent doesn't that mean that we are allowing them to get away with being disrepectful and doesn't that open the door for them to become deliquents?

I believe that we need to stop looking at them as persons whom we have to accept as they are because they are growing up without fathers or because they come from big families with a hard life due to lack of income and guidance. Heck, back in the day we were poor. We had loss of a parent or two parents. We had to deal with life and we did great. We moved on and we became strong people who ended up successful.

I think sometimes we can identify between the youth who we need to assist because they genuinely need our help and those who are using us as pawns in their lives. It is hard to know off hand who is being truthful but we have to use our intuition and pray that we do right by each youth. Each case is unique. Each case is special. We just have to know when to move forward and when to back off.

Those of us who have to deal with these dilemas are truly placed in a serious situation. Last night I was faced with a very frigthening situation and I must say that to see a youth filled with so much anger did not help me at all to sympatize for him. Certain events that unfolded over the two hours that I had to deal with this situation made me realize that the youth of today can be a danger to others and himself if we allow them to use the sympathy factor. I pray my decisions over the next few days will not mar my happiness as an educator but I fear this is the opening of a new bag of worms where I will have to re-evaluate what and how I feel about youths in these types of situations.

Until tomorrow, I pray for good judgement, mercy and peace.
Brenda Aurora Ysaguirre