Before I let you know what the ULTIMATE TEENAGE SAYING is,
consider the following 3 stories:
Three teenagers are hanging out together on a Saturday night. On their way to the park to mess around, they see a parked car with the keys in it.
"Yo" one says, "lets take it for a ride."
Everyone agrees and all hop in. The boy in the driver seat starts the car and they're off.
Shorty after, the driver looks in the rear view mirror and wouldn't you know it, the cops.
The red lights on top of the police car go on and the boys speed up to get away.
The chase is on.
The cars races onto the freeway,
then down side streets,
and then into alleys.
In twenty minutes time, the cars race down both busy and quiet streets.
Then suddenly, while trying to make a turn down a side street, the driver looses control.
The boys raise their hands across their face just as the car spins out of control and crashes into a tree.
The policeman stops his car, gets out, pulls out his gun and quickly, but yet carefully approaches the teenagers car.
When he looks in the car he sees that all of the boys are out cold and bleeding. The ambulance is called and all are taken to the hospital.
By the grace of God all have survived. However, one boy looses an eye, the other has two broken legs and the last has broken his back and is in a wheel chair for life.
• • • • •
Benny lives in a run down section of the Bronx.
He lives with his mother and 8 other brothers and sisters in a shabby 3 bedroom apartment. Mom is unable to work due to a disability and is on welfare. Dad has not been seen since Benny's birth.
Benny wants what seems to be an impossible dream;
at least around his neighborhood.
Benny wants to go to college and become a doctor, and he wants to become a doctor really bad.
Every morning he gets up early, waits his turn to use the bathroom, gathers his books and heads off to school.
On the way, Benny must walk through a huge mazes of choices;
from drugs being sold and used by his drop-out friends outside the building door,
to the gangs he gets asked to join.
From the beggars on the corner
to the occasional bullets he must dodge.
Each day on his way to school Benny is confronted with challenges and choices.
Once in school, a new series of challenges confronts him.
Whereas the school is kept clean, it is still in need of much repair. The ceiling is falling and leaks on a heavy rain,
the floor is coming up,
some of the toilets in the bathroom don't flush, etc., etc..
And then there is the classroom.
There is always something going on that distracts Benny from learning.
From people messing around when the teacher is trying to teach,
to the occasional fights,
to the lack of some school supplies,
to trying to keep his desk from falling to its side.
In Bennys school, it's not always easy to learn.
But like I said, Benny wants to be a doctor,
and he wants it BAD.
Benny toughs it out.
He gets to his senior year and is soon ready for graduation.
Benny's mom and family sit in the audience anxiously waiting for the principal to call his name and hand him his diploma.
After much anticipation, Benny's name is called. Tears roll down moms face as the principal calls out his name and announces that Benny has been accepted to the The University of Minnesota where he will study...............medicine.
• • • • •
Two girls, 15 and 14 years old, are outside a convenient store. The 15 year old girl pulls out a gun and shows it to her friend.
"I got it from my fathers draw" she brags. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Her friend doesn't answer.
"Hey," the 15 year old girl says, "lets rob that convenient store."
Her friend quickly and anxiously responses. "What are you nuts. We'll go to jail. I'm not gonna mess with jail."
The older girl tries to convince her to join.
"Don't worry about it. We ain't gonna get caught. I have a plan. Don't worry about it."
After much discussion, the 14 year old girl reluctantly agrees to go along.
Both girls put on ski masks, make a quick plan, enter the store, and stick up the clerk taking $200 from him.
They run out of the store as the clerk calls 911.
Cops come and after an hour of searching eventually find the girls hiding behind a dumpster not too far from the store.
A few months go by and the girls find themselves in court for the robbery. After the trial, the judge is ready to pronounce sentencing.
"I'm going to sentence you both to 7 years in prison," the judge says.
Upon hearing this news, the 14 year old girl faints in her lawyers arms. The layer, surprised to see her in his arms, quickly revives her.
The judge continues;
"I don't feel sorry for you young lady," she says. "If I could, I would have given you 12 years instead of 7.
However, 7 is the maximum I can give you under the law."
As the girls are lead away, the juvenile judge moves on to the next case.
• • • • •
When you hear of stories like this,
and the thousands of others like it,
you can't help but to feel for the people involved.
For the people who were hurt;
sadness.
For the people who achieve:
respect.
But there is also another thought that races through my mind when I see stories like this, as I'm sure it does other people as well.
It is a thought that is considered
the ULTIMATE TEENAGE SAYING
and is one that can apply to anything,
from drugs to education,
from sex to alcohol.
It is a saying that if followed before making serious choices in your life, could either save you a lot of troubles and heart ship in the long run, or could help you to be the best you can be and excel in life.
The saying is this:
YOU MAKE
THE CHOICES
IN LIFE
AND
THE CHOICES
WILL ALWAYS
END UP
MAKING YOU
Print out this poster and put it on your wall.
And before you mess with drugs,
or have sex with your girl/boy friend,
or mess up your education,
or bully people around,
or whatever,
remember this saying.
Because
probably the saddest words in the English language are reserved for people who don't.
That is:
If I only could have done that differently.
E-mail the author about any questions
or comments you may have
or
about your experiences
regarding this topic.Your information may be
posted on this site
and
may be of some help
to other teens.All e-mails are strictly confidential.
No names will be used.
In this web site, teenage issues and problems
such as pregnancy, suicide, depression,
teen sex and abstinence, divorce and family
problems along with making the right chains
in life are discussed.
