Holidays and Teenagers
(more insights from the classroom)
©2000 by L.M.W.
We are now officially into the holiday season. In fact, it is nearly over. If you are around teens for very long, you come to realize that the holidays begin with Halloween and end with New Year's. We may not see it that way, but adults just don't see things the same way as their kids do.
Halloween is more important to teens than to any other group. They insist that they still deserve candy. In fact, they believe that they are the only ones who should really receive the treats because somehow they have reached the age where taking candy from strangers is no longer dangerous. They figure that crazies with poison are terrified of teens with unlimited access to rolls of toilet paper. What adults see as vandalism, teens view as one of their many rights of passage. It probably comes from the fact that they are not allowed to believe in very much any more. We have taken Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy away from them. In exchange we allow them to stay out late.
A few weeks after Halloween and football season, comes Thanksgiving. If you ask most people they will tell you that this is really their favorite holiday. They have all the food without having to worry about gifts. Teens love this holiday also, but for other reasons. Though they will probably not admit it, most of the kids I know love Thanksgiving because it is a mostly adult holiday. They feel more grown up at Thanksgiving than at either Halloween or Christmas. It is at this time they also realize that their childhood is winding down. They will soon have their own tables and families and turkeys. Adults see this holiday as a time for looking back on the year, but teens see it as a way of seeing the future.
Following the realization that they are growing up, comes Christmas. Most of my students tell me that they love the traditions more than the presents. They love the tree and the lights. Some even admit that they cry when they hear their favorite Christmas carols. Of course, they still get caught up in the greed of the season. They can't really help that, I guess. Who can? This year though, I wish we could all take a good look at those almost-grown creatures who live in our houses. Look into their eyes and you can still see the children who were and the adults who will be. The traditions that we have begun, they will continue. They will also add their own.
I'm not sure if I have made my point here or not. I just know that we need to hold onto these kids while at the same time, we must let them go. To me, this is as exciting in this new millennium as it is scary.
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