what are these people thinking?
Richard took me on date tonight. What a wonderful way to end this hard week! I had a wonderful H.O.P.E. class this morning, spent the afternoon with my children and went on a date with my sweetheart tonight.
We went to Barnes and Noble to make a return. We love going to bookstores – all the different books, authors, smells, stuff…all of it…we love finding new books and sitting down and reading a wide variety of topics together for a little while and then walking out without buying a thing. It is a great date.
Well, tonight, we ventured out into the mall for a few moments. That was all we could handle before we had to escape back into the world of books because really, what are these people thinking??!!
In our few moments in the mall, we saw a group of girls around the age of eleven. They were no where near as old as Blythe as they were much smaller and didn’t have breasts to speak of. They were wearing make-up, skin tight jeans full of holes, shoes without laces, hoodies five sizes too small, and attitudes intended to keep adults a mile away. They were roaming the mall. All alone.
Another group of slightly older girls approached. One had huge, fluffy animal slippers and pajama shorts. Her friend had short, show-your-behind-if-you-bend-over shorts, a barely there tank top, flip-flops, and a beret. Mind you, it is the 23rd of January in the Northern Hemisphere, is below freezing and the ground is covered in ice and snow.
Where are their parents? Where is someone who cares about them? Where are their grandmothers? Why are they all alone at the mall on a Saturday evening?
This may be common American behavior, but I don’t approve. I don’t understand. I don’t agree.
I simply don’t get it and no amount of explaining it to me will convince me this is in any way shape or form good for these girls.
When we got home to our house, Blythe had Annesley asleep, Fisher was looking at books, Blythe was teaching Keziah how to crochet, and everyone was listening to Eragon.
What a welcome sight to these burned-by-teenage-culture-eyes. I really couldn’t take another minute of it and had to rush back into the world of books and out to the car to flee the city and all the accompanying bizarre behavior that goes with city life.
I'm Tracy, a mama with big dreams, crazy ideas, loads of laughter, an insatiable desire to learn, and enormous piles of laundry.
AMEN!!!!
I see this every single day at school! And no one to enforce the “dress code.”
I’ve been dying to hear every detail of H.O.P.E. I know how hard you worked to make it all you’ve dreamed about the last couple of months. I’m so impressed. Wish I were there to listen and share all this enlightenment! So proud of you!
Where ARE thepeople who care about them.That is a wonderful question.
I’d like to comment on Anne-with-an-e’s post. H.O.P.E. was WONDERFUL!!!! All of Tracy’s hard work paid off and I can’t wait until next time!
Hi Kari. I’m so happy for Tracy. She has put so much into this venture. I remember the day she first emailed me her ideas about doing it. Then she re-wrote and re-wrote, again, the class descriptions and gave birth to it with no less work and pain than a real birth. I’ve been after her for years to be a ‘life coach’ of some sort and here it finally is. She was too embarrassed to call herself a life coach. But she has so much information in her head and brings ideas together that create even more life-help. She was thrilled with the conversation and contribution from all of you. I could hear her euphoria as she described the first class. She said it was wonderful! Thank you for your support and friendship. She is so blessed to have a wide network of friends! Anne without an e, but I just put that on there because I like the way it looks! And of course I love the book!
My husband and I have also suffered from the retina burn of not only teenage culture, but our culture in general. I have seen women who were clearly a mother of one of the girls in the group dressed the same way and ‘hanging out’ like they were a friend instead of a parent. Unfortunately, I think the people who care for them are there, they just don’t necessarily know any better. So sad, very very sad……
Reason # 211 of Why I Hate The Mall.
Yes, what was I thinking venturing out into that den of destruction????? We weren’t buying anything, just walking and talking and enjoying each others company until we were confronted with body parts, attitudes, and abandoned children.
I soooo know what you are talking about!!! It is something I have been noticing more and more lately and it makes me so sad and also more determined to raise my daughter to value modesty.