A Grandmother's Observation

[Guest guest]

A GRANDMOTHER'S OBSERVATION

I just spent several hours observing teenagers who were hanging out at our local

mall.

I came to the conclusion that many teenagers in America live in poverty.

Most of the young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among

the whole group.

But that wasn't the sad part . . many of them were wearing their daddy's jeans.

Some of these jeans were so big and baggy that they hung low on their hips,

exposing their underwear. I know some of them must have been ashamed their daddy

was short, because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even

their daddies' good jeans, for most of them had holes ripped in the knees and

had a dirty look to them.

It grieved me that in a modern, affluent society like America, there are people

who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I have been thinking about asking my

church to start a jeans drive for the " poor kids at the mall. " Then on

Christmas Eve, I could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to these poor

teenagers.

But here is the saddest part..... it was the girls they were hanging out with

that disturbed me the most. I have never in all of my life seen such " poor "

girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys . . . they all had to

wear their little sisters clothes. Their jeans were about five sizes too small.

I don't know how they could even put them on, let alone button them up. Their

jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most of them also had on their little

sister's top; it hardly covered their midsection..

Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight

to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes. However, it was

their underwear that bothered me the most. They, like the boys, because of the

improper fitting of their clothes, also had their underwear exposed. I have

never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held

together by a single piece of . . . string.

I know it also saddens your heart to receive this report on the condition of our

American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes

nearby, there are millions of " mall girls " who barely have enough material to

keep it together.

I think their " poorness " is why these two groups gather at the mall, the boys

with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and the girls wearing their younger

sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance..

So, the next time you are at the mall doing your shopping and you pass by some

of hese poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them?

And one more thing . . . Will you pray that the guys' pants won't fall down, and

the girls' strings won't break?! Oh, yes, none of them have hair combs! They

are so needy.....

~ " If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the

entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand. "