A recent study conducted by MTV and The Associated Press interviewed nearly 1,300 young people aged 13 to 24 years old. The results found that the majority of teens find the most happiness in family. What's more, most respondents listed their parents (i.e. you) as their heroes. And (it gets even better) most young people (over three-quarters) said being with their parents brought them even more joy than being with their friends. What's more, half say religion and spirituality are very important. Intrigued by these finding, I asked my virtual teen "Secret Sources" who their heroes are. The vast majority, sure enough, mentioned a parent. Read some sample responses...
"I look up to my parents for being the people who raised me and have done what I think is a good job."
"My first hero is my mom. I know that sounds cheesy but she is. She is this strong person who has had a LOT of hard things happen to her. And she is still fine with the person she is and she doesn't change for the benefit of anyone. She tells me about it because she believes that hiding your emotions is bad. That's also something I admire her for because it's not always easy to do that."
"I would say my parents (are my heroes). I look to them when I have a problem, and they always have the answer. I don't want to have the same job as them, but when I grow up I do want to be like my parents in the way that they are so wise and loving to their children and friends and know what is right and what is wrong."
"As much as I love my friends, my parents are my heroes and the people I feel most safe and comfortable with. I admire them for always being there for me and for working hard even when I know they don't always enjoy going off to work every single day. They teach me what it means to be responsible."
I aksed my virtual teen group how the financial crisis is affecting them. Here are a few representative responses:
"It scares me that I might not have the same fortunate living that I do in my parent's house and that doing the things I love may not work financially and I'll have to get a job fo the money and not the interest. I also worry that I won't be able to give my children the same or better education that I have and I worry that they will feel scared too. With the financial crisis, my goals will be set back to simply paying the bills."
"I'm scared that I might not get to go to college or get a job. In one of my classes we recently talked about low-wage jobs becoming non-existent because of the bad economy. How can I go up the ladder if I can't get on it in the first place?"
"I worry about my parents losing their jobs."
"I don't want my parents to lose their job and then we'd have to sell our house."
"I hope my parents can afford to send me to a good college."
Do you have a question for our virtual teen group (aka Secret Sources)? Post a question in the post comments section. Talk to your teen about the financial crisis. Ask if she has questions. Strike a balance between fostering confidence and honestly answering questions. See the post How to Talk to Kids About Money in the Money Talk blog archives.
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