madameblogalot

Do you remember how hard it was to figure out your future when you feel like you are barely charting the present? I mean, I STILL feel that way! So I know it is hard for the young people who are having to make decisions about their future while they are still trying to figure out what they want to do and if they are capable of doing it. It seems as if school would be a great lab in which to learn this and to find the guidance to do so. But it can become so overwhelming.

My son had to turn in his course selections for next year. It will be his junior year in high school, apparently the most important year. He was having a very hard time deciding just which courses and which level of courses to take. At the junior level, many of the courses which he has been taking as “Pre-AP” courses are only offered as “AP” or standard. This seemed to be a bit too much for him. He sort of switched gears and took another path with his advanced classes.

When we asked him what he would maybe like to study in college, he said “Business”. He has always been money minded and good with his money. Even now he is enjoying going through the Dave Ramsey Financial University Curriculum! So when he found out that he could take some business classes in high school, he seemed to think he would enjoy those and learn something that would help his future. Learning about Business Management, Business Ownership, Business Loans, and even Business Law seemed to be right up his alley. Since these would not be required courses, he listed them as his “alternate classes”. So maybe he will be able to get a chance to explore a little of the business world that interests him. And maybe learning these things now in the time of financial insecurity in our country would be a good lesson. He could learn what things would help to grow a business, what would help it thrive, even in lean times.

I turned on the radio in the middle of a discussion about the amount of electronic input our teens are using on a daily basis. Since I came on in the middle of it, I did not hear the premise of the talk, nor the conclusion. I did catch however the part about it affecting sleep habits and even developing into a depression. One older teen/college aged student talked about how she feels pressured to keep up with everything using things like her cell phone and Facebook, and when she hasn’t been able to for a day or two, it causes real stress, like she is getting behind. The expert mentioned how using this amount of media every day is causing a type of depression. It is not considered a clinical depression and does exhibit the classic signs of depression. It is however manifested in a type of apathy, an inability to find pleasure in the little things. I think it is a true sign that it is necessary for both our bodies and minds, as well as our souls, to spend some time away from these gadgets to find some balance and joy in our lives.