By LIBBY NOLEN
Los Alamos

This past Friday I was driving around town with my friends trying to find something to do.

It was cold and dark, so that took outdoor activities off the list. We had already eaten at one of the fine local restaurants, so that took food off the list, and we didn’t feel like going to the Teen Center because only one of us has a card because the sign up process is really long and annoying to go through, but also because we didn’t feel like playing video games with any other teenagers we see from school. So, we took 3 loops around town. Was Sala open and showing anything? Nope. What good is an “event center/movie theater” if nothing is happening there.

The library was open for a little bit longer, but we didn’t really want to sit quietly and read as we had just spent an entire week at school doing that. All of our houses contained annoying siblings that we needed an escape from, so those were also not an option. Finally we went to Smiths and got candy, but even that didn’t last very long before we were bored again, back in the car searching for something new. Maybe a museum? Nope, all closed.

That’s when someone got the grand idea “Let’s go to a party”. Considering there was literally nothing else to do, this was our only option. The only option that Los Alamos County displayed to a bunch of 17 and 18 year olds was “Hey, do you wanna go do something stupid and reckless that could have major consequences for our futures?” Alas, we did not attend any party and we called it a night, but it did however get me thinking. When people post on the local Facebook groups about teenagers doing dumb stuff or comment to one another at the summer events like the County Fair about “those teenagers other there acting stupid”, do they ever stop to think what else we should be doing? As far as I am concerned, my options are loiter at Smiths, play video games for hours on end at the Teen Center, or do drugs. What else am I supposed to do other than act stupid? If I don’t like video games, drugs, or loitering, there truly is nothing for me here. So my kind, the 18 year old with a still developing prefrontal cortex, decides “Hey, let’s go do something completely dumb because that is the only way to pass time”.

So next time you want to pass judgement on a teenager who isn’t your own child, maybe think about the fact that they live in a town that is catered to children and adults. And, if you are a business owner, maybe think of ways you can make teen centered events. Sala could show more movies/have events for teenagers. That first Saturday of every month in the morning when you show a free movie for children? Maybe do something like that for teens at night. The county did a “ScienceFest after Dark” for adults this past year. What about something for teens between the morning ScienceFest where all the kids are and the night where all the adults are. Teenagers literally get scolded for trick-or-treating at mainstreet with the children, so maybe the County could make a separate event for us. If you want us to stay out of trouble, then we are going to need something to keep us occupied.