Looking Back on Hine

I was wondering early on in the semester just why we were reading 'The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager" in a literature course. From my perspective, the book seemed more like a sociology text in that it dealt with teens throughout history and their changing roles in society. But as we began to cover more teen-themed novels, I felt as though Hine's book was an excellent way to set the stage for the study of the adolescent literature, especially since we covered material dating from the 18th century to the present day and since the "teen" has been interpreted and dealt with differently throughout the course of time. Throughout my adult life I've had a persistent fear of teenagers. Maybe because I was such a difficult one! Looking back now, it's hard to believe that wild and disagreeable creature was really me. If that's what I turned into, then what's going to happen to my soon-to-be-teen kids? And I wonder if I can navigate them through it? What I liked so much about the book were the interesting facts that dealt with the ever-changing perception of teens through history, such as the formation of the high school and why it came about. I guess, like anything that defies a concrete definition, there is a lot of room for interpretation as Hine shows. The study of the "American teen" is also interesting and portrays this group to be unique, unlike any other in the world, and discusses the factors that make it so. I liked the notion that the teen years, "have become defined not as an interlude but rather as something central to life, a period of preparation and self-definition, a period of indulgence and unfocused energy. This definition alone suggests ambivalence, and Hine throughout illustrates this fact. After taking this course I feel a little bit better prepared for the near future with my own two kids. I don't know if this knowledge will make it any easier, but at least I will have a fuller understanding of just what my kids are going through and maybe I'll be able to help them through this uncertain time in their lives.