When I was reading this article, I completely agreed. “The problem is that adolescents imagine adulthood as an extension of their own experience, and most see themselves as overworked, overregulated, and overstressed.”(Doyle) This is so true because whenever I imagine my future I immediately stress out. I imagine myself working an eight – five job, coming home, cooking dinner (having a family), cleaning up, getting the kids ready for bed (assuming I have them) then do whatever other work I need to get done before I have to go to sleep. Then wake up and repeat for – forever. There are no summer breaks; there are no days off. I’m tried just thinking of it. I grew up in a household where my mom stayed home most of the time not working, so I never considered how stressful it would be when I have to go to work everyday. I do not really know about living a “free” life. In a sense I will be free to do what I want, I just will not have the time too! Doyle does make good points by saying that America would pride itself in being ‘free’ yet take that freedom away from children in this day in age.
Another issue I agree with is that kids nowadays get more homework, more work, and not enough time to themselves. Another sad but true fact is that more kids will develop mental illnesses. Depression is a huge thing for high school students now. It seems as though more and more people take depression pills, or are suicidal. It is sad and I think something should be done about that. Whether or not it is because of high school and the times now. “Many will leave college and enter the adult world already deeply encumbered by debt. They see making money as imperative, and payback for the constraints they feel.”(Doyle) I am not looking forward to ending college and being $150,000 in debt. Doyle makes great points, especially when he says, “It is hard to convince young people who have little firsthand experience with freedom, who read it as austere, uncomfortable, and implausible, that it is a legitimate aspiration.“ (Doyle) However his proposal for the solutions are not realistic. I do not see this happening anytime soon. Doyle believes kids are tired, and because of all the stresses of teen life right now, things happen that never used to. “…binge drinking is up, rates of mental illness among teenagers have risen, academic cheating is on the rise.”(Doyle)
I definitely agree with everything you say on your response to Doyle's article. You did a great job of analyzing the article and connecting the points made to your life. I agree with the fact that stress is so common today. As you said, when we imagine our future, we immediately freak out. It is human nature to do this with what our world has come to. When we do get older, life seems to be extremely stressful with having to work a long day and then tend to children. We will not have a break but it is all apart of life. It will be our own choice to have children or to work such long hours. I also agree with you when you say children are given too much homework. Doyle concludes that because of this, children do not have enough time to themselves. This is becoming a problem because homework is taking up their lives. It is even interfering with their social life which can cause problems. It is also true that more kids will develop mental illnesses and depression. We see this occuring but nothing has been to put a stop to this. All of this is occuring in society today because of the violence and horrible things that are happening throughout the world. As we grow older it is important that we make changes in the world to avoid all of the problems and the stress that continues to happen world wide.
Posted by: Kayla Ferreira | 03/11/2011 at 09:24 AM