FROM THE TOP
LELAND ACKER chreporter@mediactr.com
Right now, our lives are a party. I understand there are some of us who are going through trying times. Some are even in dire straits. However, by and large, we are living in one big party.

Think about it. America literally is a land flowing with milk and honey. Hungry? Go to the fast food drive thru, or call for pizza to be delivered.

Thirsty? Go to the fridge and grab an ice-cold soda. If you are too poor to afford soda, you can turn on the water faucet and fill your cup 'till it runs over.

We have TV for entertainment. Research projects are cut short because the Internet speeds up our data collection process.

With all these conveniences, you would think we'd live in a utopian society, but we don't.

Parents today are working harder than ever to elevate the family's standard of living. They pull double shifts, work two jobs and put in extra time at the office, hoping for that big promotion. This is done so parents can move their families to the right part of town, so the kids can go to the right schools, etc.

While the parents are away, the children often get lost in the shuffle. Some spend more time with grandparents or in child care than they do with their parents. Teenagers often roam the streets, driving the fruit of their parents labor.

These teenagers, often forced to grow up too soon, many times take jobs themselves and face challenges we couldn't have even imagined.

I witnessed a lot of this when I worked at a pizza shop in Jacksonville.

Parents, in many cases, have no idea where their children are and what they are doing.

Sadly, when some become aware, they show little concern, writing the situation off as a rite of passage. Little do they know that the dangers of being a teenager are everincreasing.

This party we are experiencing will end someday. It could end tomorrow, or years down the road.

When this party ends, we will have to give an account for our actions. We will have to answer, "Why didn't we save our children?"

The beauty of this situation is that the party is not over, yet. Take time with your kids. Get involved in the lives of your teenagers.

Despite the cultural changes we have seen, teens still long for acceptance and their primary concern is acne.

The advice I most commonly give when counseling is, "take a vacation." The folks here at the office will tell you I practice what I preach. It's time for family.