Teen Essay Winner: A letter to my grand-niece from `Tante'

December 30, 2046

Dear Marie,
New Year's greetings to my youngest grand-niece! How are you? How are your brothers and sisters? How are your parents? You all must come and visit me soon.

In your last letter, you asked me what it was like to be a teenager 50 years ago. In 1997, I was 15 years old, as old as you are now. In some ways, things were the same, different and forever unchanging.

I refer to my 15th year of life as my "mid-growing-up crisis." Like many young people my age, I underwent many changes during this time period. My braces came off to be replaced by a retainer that I only had to wear at night. I changed my hairstyle, and my hair naturally became lighter. My eye for fashion changed from the high-priced fashion designers to the ten-dollar clearance racks. I grew my fingernails long and painted them wild colors.

I didn't care what anyone thought of me or what anyone said. I was outspoken, somewhat rebellious, and relatively rowdy.

I was rebellious in the sense that I didn't do what everyone else did. I was not pregnant at 16. I never experimented with drugs or alcohol. I was service-oriented and aimed to please only God. When I was in a dilemma, I would turn to my family, prayer and the Church for help.

It was difficult for me to watch what was happening to my peers. Young girls were pregnant, planning to abort their babies. A group of teenagers would go to a party one night and the next day it would be in the newspaper that those same teenagers died in an alcohol-related crash. Kids 13- and 14-years-old were in prison, serving life sentences because they murdered their parents. Kids as young as 10 and 11 turned to heroin and cocaine because they felt they had nowhere else to turn. Gangs increased in popularity, and it wasn't safe to go anywhere alone.

Choosing God as opposed to the "crowd" wasn't always easy. I was often mocked and teased because of decisions I would make. At the same time, there were great advantages. I never had to worry about AIDS, addictions, or whether I would get into college. I had the freedom to enjoy life instead of living a life in constant peril. Being 15 takes me back to the saying that our mothers have said one thousand times: "If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?" The majority of my generation said yes. They figured:"I'll only be 15 once; no one will know if I take this drink." It's true that this individual's parents may not find out, but God always knows. The fact that God always knows kept me from <%0>dong anything that I would later regret.

As for the future, I hope teens of 2047 will aspire to please only God by doing what is just and moral. Remember Marie, tomorrow's world is you.

Love Always,
Tante

(11-05-98) [[In-content Ad]]