Stupid is as stupid does

The headline said, “Why teens do stupid things.”

Of course I had to read the article. What grownup/parent/teacher/former teen wouldn’t? We all want to know why kids do the things they do. I wondered if scientific study had turned up some new chemical imbalance to blame, some long, multi-syllabic name that educators could reduce to yet another string of disjointed letters like ADD or ADHD or OCD or KID.

But there was no news. After much study and observation, those in the know decided the deciding factor was peer pressure.

My mom was right all along.

But the reporter did make one interesting point: teens actually spend more time weighing the risks of risky behavior than do their adult counterparts. The bottom line is, sometimes it’s just worth it to a kid.

I’ve seen the worth-it look in the eyes of a youngster on his way to the principal’s office after punching someone who said something he didn’t like.

I’ve seen the worth-it look on the face of a girl who wore her cute little micro skirt onto campus in spite of the dress code. Even though she had to call home for a change of clothes, she still made a fashionable appearance, and boy, was it worth it.

A kid with a Mohawk haircut and lip ring also decided during his microsecond of deliberation that it would be worth it. Later, without the ring and strip of hair, his friends still knew he’d had the guts to try it.

I think it has something to do with bulletproof mentality and “not me” thinking.

But if we can chalk up teens’ irresponsible behavior – like riding with drunk drivers, trying drugs and never cleaning their rooms – to youth and immaturity, to what do we attribute the poor decisions of their elders?

The first incident that caught my eye was the Philadelphia father last fall who pulled a gun on his son’s football coach because Junior wasn’t getting enough playing time.

Then there was the South Carolina fifth-grade teacher who let five students use a wastebasket to relieve their bladders during a school lockdown.

And in Livingston, Montana a high school principal was suspended for giving one of his soccer players a wedgie during a junior varsity game.

No wonder teens do stupid things. They have wonderful examples living right in front of them.

I can’t imagine what the gun-toting father was thinking. I’m guessing the teacher was trying to prevent the humiliation of a child wetting herself, and the principal reportedly told authorities that his act was intended as a gesture of playfulness.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that people – not just teens – have been doing stupid things for quite some time. Our forefathers came up with a few phrases to help us think about the outcomes of our actions. Their words often come to mind today as worn out platitudes, thin clichés and tired expressions. But don’t they say what many of us have forgotten?

Look before you leap.

You reap what you sow.

Better safe than sorry.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Maybe it’s time we pulled out a few old viewpoints and dusted them off for a new year of clearer thinking.


This column previously appeared in the Porterville Recorder Newspaper.