Supporting our Youth

Our children gather and hang out with their best friends in all kinds of places. You see them in each other’s homes, in neighborhoods and on the streets. They frequent parks and trails and restaurants and bars. Depending on the age, they may even be road tripping together and concert going.

Whatever our children gather to do, they are gathering to do it with their peers in community. They are gathering so that they can be accompanied at those ages and learn lessons, share lessons and remember lessons.

We all remember our childhood and young adulthood lessons. We carry them with us well into adulthood and when our children reach these ages, we remember with fondness our own lessons learned in company with our own friends growing up.

So, the next time you spot your child or a child in your community hanging out, having fun and even learning a life lesson, look upon it with fondness and empathy. We have all been there. We have all traveled the road of lesson learning in our youth. And when we did, we were accompanied by adults who supported us every step of the way.