Kids These Days...

Being the wife of a Youth Director (and, by default, a youth volunteer) certainly has its perks... and I'm not just talking about how I get to wear my chucks on a regular basis without being mocked by my peers (I was a punk at heart before it was trendy!). I get to keep my finger on the pulse of youth culture, because some of the people I spend the most time with are under the age of 18. And, even with an average of 10 years between us... you might be surprised at just how much we have in common, not to mention how much I've learned from them. For instance:

• I've learned that the human heart can survive the consumption of 5+ energy drinks within the span of 2 hours (although the inevitable caffeine crash leads to MAJOR grumpiness on the part of the consumer and all those in their company).


• I've learned that Edward Cullen (aka Rob Pattinson) is to 2009 what Jonathan Taylor Thomas (aka JTT) is to 1996. (P.S. Where is JTT now?!?!)


• I've learned that modern high schools are giving homework assignments that I seriously envy. I turned in 4 page book reports written in cursive pencil... these days you get an "A" for a rap video about Beavers that includes the lyrics, "Oh hot Jam, this is my Dam." When did teachers start appreciating creativity? (shout out to Maggie Morgans!)


• I've learned that dodge ball ALWAYS results in injury... and Red Rover should NEVER be played unless you are willing to lose a limb and possibly your life.


• I've learned what it means to "Ghost ride the Whip"... and why mothers are terrified that their children are trying it.
  
• I've learned that if you are on a retreat and come back from a leader's meeting early... you just might find teenage girls dancing around in costumes with their iPod (contraband, no less) blasting out Jonas Brothers tunes.
  

And thats really just the tip of the iceberg. Cause when you take the time to listen to what the younger generation has to say about faith, politics, culture, etc... (and I mean when they are REALLY talking here... not just when they are regurgitating what their parents or teachers have said) They have some incredible insights and ideas.

But, there are some things out of balance within youth culture today.

I could spend some serious time analyzing how much technology has changed the life of a teenager. The mass quantities of entertainment they consume is OUTRAGEOUS, and (speaking in MAJOR generalities here) its beginning to take a toll on how they relate to the real world (And, if your mind conjured up images of MTV's reality series there... its affected you too!). Remember the days of your mom picking up the phone to interrupt your call with a friend because she needed the phone? LONG GONE thanks to cell phones, text, facebooking, and IM. Movies that would have been just popular before.... now CONSUME their lives with ads everywhere, celebrity appearances, YouTube posts, Facebook quizzes ("Which Harry Potter Character are You?" - Um, what?!), Music videos, Award shows, etc.

Which brings me back to the Twilight MADNESS that currently exists in our culture. Now, I'm not immune (see my "Confession" post).... but I think we are just beginning to see how much the Twilight media blitz has taken hold of the brains of our teenage population...

During a late Spring youth group, Jake brought an interesting question to the table:

"Let's say you found out you were dying right now. You only had enough time to write ONE LETTER. Who would you write to and what would you say?"

Wowsa. This one had even me tripped up for a second. Jake pressed for some answers... but it seemed everyone was stumped. After sharing that he, himself would write to his wife (you're darn right you would!) we finally started to hear some answers trickle out...

Some were predictable: "I guess I'd write to my parents and tell them thank you." A reasonable enough answer... I couldn't help but wonder how that letter would go -- Dear Ma & Pa, Thanks for birthing me so I could live these few short years. Oh yeah... and thanks for always buying me Cool Ranch Doritos. Peace out.

Some were not so predictable: "I'd write to [insert Pokemon character here] and ask him to come save me." Yeah... references to Pokemon seem to come up a lot in youth group. Jake and I have taken to responding as if Pokemon actually exists. I'm pretty sure Jake said something like, "No. Not even Pokemon can save you. You are dying."

And, one answer in particular has puzzled and amused me ever since. So thoughtfully, one girl raised her hand and gave us this little gem of an answer (in all sincerity, mind you) --

"I would write a letter to my favorite author of fiction, Stephanie Meyer. And, I would tell her how much I loved her books and how much they changed my life and just how great they are."

Just in case you don't know... Stephanie Meyer is the author of the Twilight series. Jake instantly looked at me with "I told you those books are ridiculous" written all over his face... and nearly all of us couldn't help but laugh. But she DID NOT back down. She was convinced that this would be the most important thing she could say in her final hours on earth.

Which, of course, has me wondering how our youth (even if only a few of them) could have their priorities so confused. But in a world that bombards them with media, entertainment, and trends while at the same time building up technology walls that allow us to have "relationships" without ever needing to speak face-to-face (or, really, even SPEAK at all) -- why should I be surprised? I probably know less than 100 of my 352 facebook friends better than I know the fictional Edward Cullen. I mean, honestly! I may read their status updates, but I certainly haven't (and probably wouldn't) read 4 books about their life!

So, I guess the question at the end of the day is: Who WOULD you write your final letter to? Cause if we measured our love for people or the impact they had on our lives by the amount of time we spend with them... I feel many of us would be stuck writing letters to people/things who could (or would) never read them.

And, here I am rambling on about being present in my life again. The idea of being invested in my life is always swimming around in my brain. Are we conscious about what we consume? Are we intentional with our time? Are we investing in things with lasting value?

These are the questions that I can't put down... and these are the questions we should ingrain in the brains of our youth generation.