Teen Poverty in America

I've just spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at our local
mall.  And I came to the conclusion that many teenagers in America today are living 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 the guys were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some
jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their
underwear. I know some 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 had holes ripped in the knees and 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 was thinking about asking my
church to start a jeans drive for "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 the guys were hanging out
with that disturbed me most.  I've never, in all of my life, seen such poverty
-stricken girls. These poor girls had the opposite problem of the guys they all
had to wear their little sisters clothes.  Their jeans were about 5 sizes
too small!   I don't know how they could put
them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their
hipbones. Most also had on their little sister's top; it hardly covered
their midsections.

Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad
sight to see -- these almost grown young women wearing children's clothes.

However, it was their underwear that bothered me most. They, like the boys,
because of the improper fitting of their clothes, had their underwear
exposed. I never saw anything like it. It looked like their underwear was
 held together by just a single piece of string.  Can you imagine?

 

I know it saddens your heart to receive this report on 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 2 groups
gather at the mall, boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and girls
wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can
find acceptance.  So, next time you are at the mall, doing your shopping ,
and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you just say a prayer for
them?

And one more thing ... Please pray you pray that the guys' pants won't fall down, and
that the girls' strings won't break?

I thank you all,
A Grandmother

Created by Patty's fiend Rita.