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Show FOR AND ABOUT TEENAGERS By C. D. Smith Should Teenagers Be Allowed lo Date? ( 1 V I YOU CAN'T DATE UNTIL f") YOU CET TO BE It O) The author remembers a wise psychology teacher who made this observation: "Many parents fall because they keep their young locked in a bureau drawer until they're 18; then turn them out and say 'There, I think you are old enough to take care of yourself now!'" Having date is as much a part of growing up for the average teenager as going to school. Teenagers can learn about the world from books they must learn about people from people. There isn't much room to grow in a bureau drawer, but, by the same token, a teenager can grow up too fast with no supervision at all. Parents who faithfully meet their responsibility stand somewhere some-where on middle ground, with .guidance, instruction and proper exercise of authority. It's more "bother" than saying "you can't date until you get to be 18" (or some other age) something which all too many parents seem to do. But, its usually worth the effort. If roa have a tnl problem yes want to discuss, or an observation to make, address your letter to FOR AND ABOUT TEENAGERS, NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SERVICE, rftANUORI, K.Y. 1 Life is never a simple bed of roses. Always there must be thorns thorns that are the problems to be met and dealt with by every age group at one time or another. When an average boy or girl enters the teenage set, a most frequent problem prob-lem (and, to the teenager, a problem of most serious nature) is the attitude of their parents toward "dating." Quite often the thing that brings trouble is the misguided parent who thinks that the longer he or she can keep their teenager from ' dating, the better things are for all concerned. It hat been normal since the begin-ing begin-ing of time for young people to grow to the age where they enjoy being with young people of the opposite sex. In the middle teens parties and social gatherings represent valuable training grounds where both boys and girls learn to overcome their fears and shyness; shy-ness; they learn how to meet people and how to conduct themselves like young ladies and young gentlemen. This is something that does not come to a teenager when a certain age, say 16, 17 or IS i reached. |