Almost every article about teens reminds us that they may drink too much, drive recklessly, talk back, not talk enough, etc. You get the drift. Well here in a totally different spirit, I would like to give credit where credit is due and that is to our teens, who have recently behaved in incredibly heroic fashion. These are the teens who have gone above and beyond what we would expect to save others, even if it might have meant endangering their own lives. Let's remember that teens, like the rest of us, are neither all good or all bad.
Here are five examples from 2012 of teens behaving like heroes.
1. This week, a Washington state middle school student named Jeremy Wuitschick, a 13-year-old, grabbed the steering wheel of his school bus after the bus driver passed out. He safely pulled the bus over to the side of the road before putting it into park. And let's also give kudos to the school administrators who trained the students in how to deal with emergency situations on the bus.
2. Earlier this month,14-year-old Dakota Edwards of New Hampshire found a wallet filled with several hundred dollars. Did she go to her local mall and expand her wardrobe? Nope. She turned the wallet over to her school principal. And she was rewarded. The owner of the wallet gave her $100.00 dollars for her thoughtful and ethical behavior.
3. How about the two 17-year-old boys, Cody Decker and Luke Vaughn from Dewitt, Michigan, who saved the lives of two people trapped in a burning car? They not only called 911 but they also risked their own lives by attempting to pull the trapped passengers from the car. Let's hear it for these teen boys who got more than just their hands dirty.
4. And, what about 17-year-old Graceann Rumer from Philadelphia, who only had her driver's license for two weeks? Graceann took over the steering wheel of the bus after the driver sadly suffered a heart attack. She brought the bus to safety with her swift and careful behavior.
5. Here is one of my favorites of 2012 so far: A teenage girl from Utah warned authorities about a plot by two students to blow up a high school. Her name has not been released but her intuition was right on and she knows who she is. Nice going.
So, the next time you think to yourself --"those teenagers" -- try to think of the teens in the above stories and feel pride in what teens are capable of.
Teens as Heroes: A Reminder that the Teenage Years Can Be Marvelous
The next time you think to yourself --"those teenagers" -- try to think of the teens in the above stories and feel pride in what teens are capable of.
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