"When I was a kid ... we had to walk to school, barefoot, in two feet of snow ... uphill, both ways!" How many of you have heard this line so many times your eyes automatically roll? I've heard it lots and as I get older, I realize that maybe as kids, we missed the point.
We are all so used to getting certain things throughout our childhood that we forget to appreciate them as much as we should. What we never think about is how our parents had it when they were our age. Simple things like sending email, texting, calling people and more.
One of the main things teenagers are obsessed with nowadays is using their cellphones. Now it's not so much about calling people but more about texting or surfing the Internet conveniently.
However, our parents did not have that luxury. Barely anyone had a cell phone and, if they did have one, it was only to make emergency calls. Back then, you carried change to find a telephone booth if you needed to call people. When you did make a call, you had to hope they were home to answer or else you were out of luck.
Many teenagers have the privilege of having their own car or borrowing their parents'. Usually, it's a decent car and fairly reliable. I've heard stories of when my parents were my age ... their cars were old, banged up, ripped seats, cracked dashboards, and they broke down a lot.
Sadly, their parents' cars weren't much better. From what I am told, some of them were like driving a huge rock on wet sponges.
If you didn't have nice-looking teeth as a kid, chances are you had braces. Yes they hurt; they weren't the best looking but imagine what the braces were back then. As my dad describes, they were "shiny, metallic and advertised themselves like a neon sign." They cut up your lips and you had to constantly have them adjusted.
Do you appreciate having your own TV or at least a second one in your house? Well then consider yourself lucky, because my parents had one in the entire house. You either watched what your mom and dad were watching or took a vote.
The good thing about this, though, was that it helped keep the family together.
We take advantage of so many things that no one had the pleasure of having years ago. Even what we consider small conveniences would have been modern marvels to them.
As soon as I get back from class, what do I do? I go on my laptop and check my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Could your mom or dad do that? Even if they existed back then, most people didn't own computers yet, let alone laptops. It's so convenient to have Internet around you almost all of the time; whether you are on your laptop, computer or your smartphone. Back then if you had to get information you had to go to the library or use your own encyclopedias.
With everything going on, especially the high unemployment rate, it's easy to think we have it hard. However, back then they worked for low pay, only had a few breaks and not-so-healthy work environments. Because of this, many parents could not afford to give their children money, so kids had to start working at a much younger age.
With college, many parents are helping their kids out with paying for some of it. Years ago, parents paying for college was less frequent and more kids did what my stepmom did _ worked her way through college and paid college loans.
Now ... let's get back to that old saying that most kids roll their eyes at. Hard to imagine but one day, we'll be doing the same with our own kids.
Melissa Flathmann, a 2011 graduate of Oneonta High School, is a freshman at the State University College at Plattsburgh. Would you like A Word of Advice from her? Send her an email at melissa_flath@yahoo.com or send her a letter to "Teen Talk: A Word of Advice," C/O The Daily Star, P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820. 'Teen Talk' columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/teentalk.
Teen Talk
A Word of Advice: Learn to appreciate what we have
- Teen Talk
-
-
On the Go: Patriotism doesn't mean keeping status quo
I've been labeled many things, but when anti-American and unpatriotic came into the picture recently I was surprised. I know I have some controversial opinions, but since when does that equate to not loving America? I'm a born and raised American kid, and I love America.
-
Luhrmann brings Gatsby new life
Sure, you would think that being a college student and having finals rapidly approaching would equate to my growing anticipation for the summer and being done with my first year of college.
-
Teenhood Today: Only you can determine your impact
The question I am most often asked is, "What do you want to do with your life?"
-
A Word of Advice: Just do something
If you're not going upward, the only direction you can go is down. To stagnate is to surrender; to do nothing for yourself; to give up on a better day completely. If we sit around feeling good enough in all aspects of life, or just too lazy to fix them, well, as Albert Einstein put it, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
-
On the Go: Life is like the Cliff Walk
Over spring break, my family and I spent time in Newport, R.I. While we were there, we walked a path known as the Cliff Walk. This walk is nestled between some Newport mansions and some cliffs overlooking the ocean. While we were walking, my sister and I noticed how this path was a perfect metaphor for life and the journey it is.
-
Weekend Reviews: 'Host' plot offers no surprise
Just when we all thought we would be safe to turn on our televisions and re-enter the movie theaters after the last "Twilight" film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray, the cinema gods decided to toy with our emotions once more.
-
Teenhood Today: Responsibility is at heart of gun debate
I'm a hunter. That means that I know exactly where my meat came from, and I know that the animal died in a humane way. Plus venison is my favorite meat.
-
A Word of Advice: Make your building blocks positive ones
One block, two block, three block, the world around you building you up.
-
On the Go: Embrace changes in life
Life is evolving, progressing and changing.
-
Weekend Reviews: Thrifting makes you look incredible
-
Teenhood Today: Finding a happy medium when packing
Packing suitcases should be a sport.
-
A Word of Advice: Don't let power of envy rule your life
Envy is a very powerful thing. Whether on the receiving end of it, or dealing it out yourself, making people want something can be more powerful than any insult you can put on them. It's like waving a steak in a dog's face and putting that dog behind a glass barrier. He sees something in front of him that he wants, something someone else has that he just can't get.
-
On the Go: Don't let happiness hibernate
When was the last time you did something for the first time? When did you last smile? When did you last laugh out loud? When did you lose track of time just chatting with someone? When did you last learn something new?
-
Weekend Reviews: Oscar frontrunners hold relevance
Once again, it is that time of the year: either you’re complaining about the weather or your lack of a valentine, or attempting to view all of the films nominated for this year’s Academy Awards.
-
Teenhood Today: Follow through on good intentions
Most of the time, people have good intentions.
-
A Word of Advice: Change is a brilliant thing
From the beginning of human history, we have come to be through adapting to our environment. So why do we all fear change when it hits our own personal lives?
-
On the Go: Old houses have history to share
My house lives and breathes history.
-
Weekend Reviews: Sparks creates the perfect spark
If you enter the library of any high school in America, chances are the number of books listed under the author "Sparks" will far exceed many others in the fiction section. The author, Nicholas Sparks, has written 17 books, and I'm sure will have two finished and ready to be published by the time this column is printed.
-
Teenhood Today: Broken resolutions can be fixed
-
A Word of Advice: Hard work pays off in many ways
Success isn't found, success is bled through hard work and dedication.
-
On the Go: Patriotism doesn't mean keeping status quo
