Patti Dickinson
I watched Dr. Phil's show yesterday on teenage shenanigans. In the seventies, when I was a kid, shenanigans could be defined as chewing gum in the Catholic high school hallway, sneaking a cigarette in the parking lot during senior out-to-lunch days, passing notes right under Sister Mary Katherine's eyes, short-sheeting a summer camp mate's bed, or making ridiculous prank calls (pre-caller id) and inquiring whether the refrigerator is running. Giggles and a hang-up. Calls made after midnight earned triple daredevil points.
Today? Twelve and thirteen year old girls in the school bathroom taking pictures of themselves with their shirts off, and sending this picture to select boys. The statistic? A staggering 54% of girls in this age category have actually done this. WHY? Isn't this outrageous acting out? Are these kids so starved for attention, that this is the new normal? A result of Britney Spears as role model and "inadvertent" wardrobe malfunctions? Or is this putting into kids' hands technology they aren't ready for? I mean, really, what does a twelve year old need with a cell phone? Sitting in the carpool line at my daughter's middle school...there isn't a girl that comes out of the building without a cell phone. Every last one of them, doing the one-handed thumb thing, reading their messages, walking by all their friends, seemingly oblivious.
Talk? Nah. Texting trumps a real conversation any old day!
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