Then and Now Essays

Then and Now Essays Then and Now Essay Then and Now Essay Now and Then Interview â€Å"Times sure have changed† is a quote that comes to mind when thinking of the different between being an adolescent today compared to being an adolescent sixty years ago. To find out more about the differences I was able to speak with a male, currently age 82, and a female age 18. I am familiar with both of these individuals one, a close friend of the family, and my cousin’s daughter was able to answer some questions for me also. These two people both grew up in the United States. The eighty-two year old lived in Kentucky as an adolescent. The eighteen year old currently resides in Arkansas. Times have changed and I learned a little about just how much in speaking with my willing participants. These two people from such different times in this country taught me quite a bit about how things are different than they were sixty years ago. When speaking with the elderly gentleman I found he spoke of his adolescents as a working time in his life. He wasn’t able to attend high school because World War II started. His father owned a saw mill and needed help making railroad ties for the government. He gave up going to school for working six days a week, 10 hour days in the saw mill, in addition to the home chores he had to do before and after work to help keep his household going. This compares drastically to the current adolescent I spoke to. Things are much different today in age than they were back then. The adolescent of today is graduating high school this month, where she was able to take medical classes along with her college prep classes. This subject works 25-30 hours per week at a local fast food restaurant, but by her own choice. One major difference between these two besides the importance of education is that the eighty-two year old did not get paid a wage to work 50 hours a week. He worked to help out his family, not to earn a wage. This gentleman was content to be given enough money to go the movies most weekends. He didn’t expect to receive a paycheck for the work he did. In speaking with the elderly individual I didn’t get a feeling that working at such a young age adversely affected his vocational identity. He worked because it was what he had to do. Working from such a young age in his home doing mandatory chores, and additionally having to work outside the home to help his father gave him a strong work ethic. Even though he is retired, this gentleman still lives alone, owns three vehicles, which he does all basic maintenance himself. Reading from the text book on page 419, the author makes it seem that working at a young age can harm an adolescent. This goes against my personal beliefs and what I found in doing these interviews, going to school and working helped both of my interview subjects, and from my own personal experience, it gave even me a better sense of responsibility and expectation for becoming an adult. From questions about school and job situations I moved into asking these individuals about the relationships they have or had with their parents. Neither subject spoke of conflicts with their parents. They both shared that their parents trust them to make correct decisions. The elderly man shared that his community was small, so his parents would warn that if he did something wrong it would get back to them. He claimed that he and his siblings knew to â€Å"just be a good citizen,† and if they did something wrong not only would their parents find out, but neighbors would correct them verbally if they were found to do something inappropriate, â€Å"it was a neighborhood kind of thing. When speaking to the current adolescent she shared that her household rules include only a curfew, dressing appropriately, not being allowed to be home alone with her boyfriend, or have him in her bedroom. Other than not being permitted to do drugs or alcohol, she said her father doesn’t place as many restrictions on her because he knows he can trust her to make good decisions. It seems both people were able to gain the trust and re spect of their parents by the time they were adolescence, keeping the conflict that can arise to a minimum. From conflicts in the home we spoke about what types of activities they do/did in their free time. This doesn’t seem to have changed much over the years. Both said they would just hang out with their friends wherever they were able to. Sixty years ago it was more outside and at Church. Today with transportation being easier things have shifted some to being â€Å"at each other’s houses, going to the mall, (we go to) Wal-Mart a lot. † Per the conversation I had with the youth of today. Though the locations are different, the time spent is similar enough. Peer selection was based on who they went to school or Church with, who was around them on a regular basis to gain that friendship with. I did notice that the current teenager shared she has had several boyfriends, where the elderly man advised he didn’t have a girlfriend until he was able to get a car of his own, which wasn’t until he was in his 20’s. This makes it appear that transportation makes dating easier. Though, he did share that walking a girl home from Church â€Å"was special. The actions are different from sixty years ago to today when adolescents spend free time with each other, but that’s to be expected with transportation and the amount of activities available increasing with technology. In closing, I found that both interview subjects were helpful in showing how the experience of being an adolescent has changed from sixty years ago to today. People still react to the environment around them. If a child is raised in a home where work is ex pected and no other option is given, they will most likely become a hard worker. Gender roles have changed and both people I spoke with mentioned something about how things are different now for women. It used to be women took care of the household, so when the eighty-two year old got married he expected his wife to stay home and take care of the house as his mother had. When she got a part time job after their kids were in school, he was upset by it, but allowed it. The young lady I spoke to provides money to her father for her vehicle payment, for her use of a cellular phone, and to help pay for their cable bill. She plans to attend college and become a teacher, which is the career she has chosen for herself. This is something she will expect any future spouse to be accepting of. Times have changed, and the roles men and women play have changed also. I learned more than I thought I would, but also found that some things haven’t changed, and I hope they never do. References Berger, K. S. (2008). The developing person through the life span, 7th edition. New York, NY: Worth, P, 416-425. Lambert, A. (2010, April 27). Telephone interview. Picklesimer, E. (2010, May 1). Telephone interview.