I'm a bit embarrassed to share the following with you but I guess I feel that it has special "historic" value. You see, before I put away the "Uncle Will" composition that I wrote for an English assignment in 1947, I read through the rest of what I wrote for the assignment which had to do with our everyday lives. I guess one of the subjects to write about was what I/we thought of ourselves as teenagers at age 15. As I read over what I wrote, I could hear the anger in my voice. But at the same time, I realized that it was the "anger" that teenagers have felt from the beginning of time! Hmmm, I wonder what a 15-year-old girl would write today if given the same assignment that I was given 50 years ago!! MY OPINION OF TEENAGERS When the subject of teenagers is presented to a group of adults, the general impression thought of us is that we are a group of sloppy-Joe and plaid-shirt clad juvenile delinquents. As for myself, I admit that I wear anklets and enjoy Vaughn Monroe’s singing. I’m in my teens, so I’m described as a swooning bobby-soxer even though I’m a far cry from the silly and almost non-existent girl that the name suggests. During the war, a serious change took place in American homes. Fathers and brothers went to war and mothers went to work in factories and industries. Children were left to go their own way. Most of us weathered the storm but some did not and, therefore, got on the wrong track. But to hear some people talk, you’d think we are all actual or on our way to being juvenile delinquents. As for the way we dress, I have to admit that there was a time when we did dress pretty sloppily but when we made our minds up to dress up, we really looked pretty “sharp!” At the present time, any girl that doesn’t care much about her appearance isn’t thought a great deal of. Instead of sloppy-Joe sweaters, we enjoy wearing shorter and neater sweaters; instead of bobby-socks, neat close fitting anklets are in style. Even the fact that we like to hear certain singers display their talents must show that we appreciate music. After all, it’s a known fact that the screaming Frank Sinatra fans was just a publicity stunt. Why, it’s surprising to see the number of high school students that attend music concerts and lectures. Another thing that’s said against teenagers is that we “hang out” in certain places and get in trouble. That goes for a few of us, but you’ll find that most of Niagara Falls students go to the “Rec” or to the “Swing-In Club” for amusement where they enjoy themselves dancing, playing ping pong and having clean fun. After they close at night, most of us go to a soda bar for a milkshake and a hamburger and then straight home. Is there anything wrong with that? Not to my knowledge, there is. I suggest that anyone after reading what I have just written still feels that we, as a whole, are a group of irresponsible juvenile delinquents try to be a little bit more broad minded and overlook our faults and realize that we really aren’t as bad as we appear to be. Vee Housman