Some days random thoughts come to mind.
Today’s special appearance was an old tv show, from almost twenty five years ago.
Parker Lewis can’t lose.
High school redone for the millionth time, but from the perspective of a cool kid.
Cause that’s never been done, right?
They would always synchronize swatches whenever they had a plan to create high school high jinks,
so they’d be able to meet up after and debrief.
I wished that had been my high school experience, cool and carefree, with lots of toys.
There’s little in the way of excitement in my memories, and I usually spent my time after school skating or reading,
content to so my own thing, solitary, but not lonely.
I used to wonder what life would be like
if art didn’t just imitate reality,
If all the things we remembered,
every last moment that replayed in our mind and heart,
was put out as entertainment for the masses to pick apart and judge.
I used to think it was a strange and futuristic idea,
only for science fiction, unlikely to happen.
And yet.
Here we are, twenty years since I left the halls of high school, moving in the world of adults and responsibility,
nostalgic for the hormonal roller coaster of youth.
Now watching as they come through my door with problems that never occurred to me.
When did the world become so scary?
The violence and the crime have always been there, that’s not new.
What is new and frightening is the callous way people can act when given free rein on social media,
every action fodder for the beast,
The damage they can do to someone they don’t like.
Bullies and mean girls could ruin your life at school in the 90s and before,
but now they can invade every moment,
pollute your waking thoughts as well as your nightmares.
It’s no wonder anxiety and depression are on the rise
With no escape, hopelessness can be all a teen can see.
I’d like to rewind a bit to the old high schools on tv, with Larry’s lunch and outwitting the principal
No more ten reasons why or pretty little liars,
No more phones and kys and anonymous texting
I’m going to take back my kids adolescence when they get there,
by being the meanest parent in the world,
and not letting them have a phone until they are old enough to drive,
and smart enough to know that mean people suck
