Monday, March 27, 2006

Letters to Home - Teen Poverty in America

Good Monday morning...another week, another chance for Blogger to screw up...such is our lot in life! This little ditty is compliments of my blogging buddy Ric.

Before I left for Europe I spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at our local mall. I came to the conclusion that many teenagers in America today are living in poverty.

Most young men, I observed, didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group. But that wasn't the sad part. Many were wearing their daddy's jeans.

Some jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some must have been ashamed their daddy was short, because his jeans hardly went below their knees.

They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most had holes ripped in the knees and a dirty look to them.

It grieved me, in a modern, affluent society like America, there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I was thinking about asking my Church to start a jeans drive for "poor kids at the mall."

Then on Christmas Eve, I could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to
these poor teenagers.

But here is the saddest part..... it was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me most. I've never, in all of my life, seen such poverty-stricken girls.

These girls had the opposite problem of the guys. They all had to wear their little sisters clothes. Their jeans were about 5 sizes too small! I don't know how they could put them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones.

Most also had on their little sister's top; it hardly covered their midsections.
Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes.

However,it was their underwear that bothered me most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, had their underwear exposed. I never saw anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.

I know it saddens your heart to receive this report on condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together.

I think their "poorness" is why these 2 groups gather at the mall, boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptence.

So, next time you are at the mall,doing your shopping, and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them? And one more thing...

Will you pray the guys' pants won't fall down, and girls' strings won't break?

I thank you all,

Signed
A Concerned Grandmother

10 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
    Thanks for the link, Bonnie.

    Glad you enjoyed the giggle.
    Denise McDonald said...
    I am so glad I have sons (with belts)!!!
    Crystal said...
    HOO HOO HOO! Yeah, those POOR POOR teenagers! LOL!
    Ballpoint Wren said...
    Yeah, the jeans have been sinking lower and lower lately. Hubby lays down the law and the waistlines go up, and then they start creeping down again.

    I just don't get the look. And I live next door to a high school... yowza, what the young ladies are wearing!
    Joe said...
    The girls could start a string band.

    O maybe the strings should be banned.
    WannabeMe said...
    Yeah, I wished it snowed here once in a while so those kids would put some clothes on!
    Shelley L. MacKenzie said...
    LOL...at first I thought this was a really serious post...and I was ready to go over and tell the guy that was supposed to be the fashion (not much of one in my opinion though), and then I realized it wasn't mean to be serious....LOL
    David Meigs said...
    Funny and well written.

    I think I'll print it up top read to the youth group.
    Bonnie S. Calhoun said...
    Oh, Shelley...you are too funny girl...These kids are way serious about their "fashion" and I use that term loosely. Geez...and my mom thought we were bad will bell bottom jeans in the 60's!!!LOL

    Joe...way too funny!!! I really like that!

    Dana...btw...snow doesn't stop them...we have winter here. We have snow here...they look the same in any season...you'd think they'd change fashions like no white after Labor Day, but no....they wear...or lack to wear, it year round!

    Crystal...don't laugh..LOL your time will come...she's still young!

    Ballpoint and Dennie...think belts...with locks on them!
    Ric...thanks guy...what a hoot!
    Gordon said...
    The reason these kids are poor are because they bought these clothes. Do you have any idea what one of these partial articles of clothes cost?

    I heard a great line the other day. This girl was talking about how much she liked to shop at the Dollar Store. She said, "You can go there dressed any way you like. You don't have to dress up like you would if you were going to Wal-Mart or something."

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