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Parent-Teen is a publication of:
Parents' Press
1454 Sixth St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone:
(510) 524-1602
Fax:
(510) 524-0912
e-mail:
ParentsPrs@aol.com
Site contents © copyright 1997-2000 by Parents' Press
You are welcome to make a single (1) copy of any article for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact us if you are interested in reprinting any material from this site.
FRESHMAN JOURNAL
Behind the
Lines at Berkeley High
February 2000: Sleep
- I Need Sleep!
© Copyright 2000 by Parents' Press
Our Berkeley (California) High School freshman has chosen to be anonymous so she can write more freely.
Blueberry "soup" bubbled on the stove, my aunt Dawn prepared a tasty-looking salad, Grandma hurried to set the table, and my uncles Mel and Roy washed dishes. Grandpa played with the baby, and Auntie Anna pulled the ham from the oven. Chatter filled the kitchen as thick as the aroma of our soon-to-be dinner. Though my grandparents' house seemed crowded, it was stuffed in the way that feels like Christmas.
Everyone was tired, but none seemed too grumpy as the (adventurous)
first course fruit soup with a drop of yogurt and orange
zest was served. We all found it to be, as my aunt Dawn
described it, "a tried it, liked it, gotta do it again dish."
After dinner, when the dishes had been cleared away and washed,
my grandmother (a former opera singer), Aunt Dawn, also a professional
vocalist, Aunt Anna, and I sang not-so-known carols and other
music from Dawn's church choir.
Grandma pulled off the bass (though an octave or two higher,
depending). Aunt Anna did the alto while Dawn and I did the two
soprano parts. Our captive audience agreed that we actually did
pretty well, considering we were sight-reading!
During our little performance I had managed a small personal
triumph. Not only am I very shy in front of an audience, I'm
even more shy about my voice.
In one of the songs, I had held a high A alone for four measures.
That, for me, was a thrill! To do well something so hard, well,
especially with all the fear I had, was an awesome experience.
The new year. Not the new century. Everyone said: It's the new millennium! Including news reporters! It drove me nuts! "Well, it feels like it, so," one bud told me. For me, however, it's just as odd as any other year!
On New Year's Eve, I went to my friend's house. We played games, went to a party for a bit, and over all it was pretty fun.
About ten minutes before the new year, we turned on the tube, surfing the channels to find one covering San Francisco's celebration. Together, her family and I lifted our glasses ready, and counted aloud, while our hearts thumped dangerously in our chests.
What I remember most (!) is our disappointment in finding
out that SF had rejected the martini glass idea. The one with
the descending olive during the countdown. Man! That would have
been so cool!
I did not want to go back to school. At all. Ever. Vacation? What vacation?!! On Monday, the day seemed to drag on forever. I swear all of the zillion students had heavy sleep deprivation. My friends and I just kinda sat there and blinked at each other, barely speaking. It was sad!
I think it would be much better if the schools adjusted to
teens' natural sleeping habits. I think it would really improve
my performance! I've been getting as few as five hours of sleep
a night, and usually about six at the most. What is it? Like
nine hours that we're supposed to get? I just can't fall asleep
till after midnight! What do you mean get up at 6:15 a.m. to
go to school?!! And there are people that have to get up earlier
than I do to go to morning sports team practices!
A friend of mine said the mother of some kids she babysits asked her a really neat question, the other day: "You're a teenager, what should I know when my kids get to be your age?"
My friend said it was something that needed a lot more thought, but that she did her best, telling the woman that "although it's important to be a parent, being their friend, someone they can confide in, is also something really needed.
"My parents told me that if I need to leave a party, despite the time of night etc., they would pick me up," my friend continued. "No questions asked. I'm really grateful that they trust me so much. Somehow that makes me respect them more, you know? Because they respect me, and my privacy. How they treat me, and handle situations that surround me, really concurs with how I relate, and interact with them.
"Say I went to a party, and they were I dunno shooting up heroin, or something. I would call my parents, they'd pick me up. But because I trust them enough to handle the situation well meaning that they wouldn't get mad at me, or forbid me to go to parties I'm more willing to let them know what goes on in my life.
"Sometimes, when I'm having trouble handling a situation be it with a friend, homework or something else I can tell my parents about it, and they'll help me. I know they're more relaxed parents (in some ways!), and not everyone can or does talk to their parents like I do.
"I think that if parents are willing to trust their children with handling their own lives, it makes them more willing to approach a parent when they are in need. If the parent gets angry, or punishes the child, I think that simply makes talking to the parent a no-no."
Comments about this article? Send us an e-mail and we'll add your remarks to the feedback page.
Berkeley,
CA High School
Freshman Journal Archives
Bullets courtesy of
Wake Up
Sleepy Teen!
Can't fall asleep till
midnight? Sleep researchers say it's biology