Have a Safe Summer
By Karalynn, age 15, Washington
WOOHOO!!! It's summer! I don't know about you, but that's the first thought that comes to my mind this time of year. School's been out for about a month, you get to sleep in and just chill, you know? Just be sure to be safe this summer. It's pretty easy to get into trouble during summer when you don't have sports and homework to distract you. Things like alcohol, partying, drugs, and sex can really bring your summer to a crashing halt. So just avoid all that - go out of your way to keep your summer fun ... and harmless as well.
When you think about it, it's a lot easier to be unsafe during summer. Being dangerous means doing whatever everyone else does - you don't have to work at it. But is it really worth it to have a night of fun and then risk ruining the rest of your summer ... maybe even the rest of your life? Ok, so look at it this way - being grounded is so not fun. Even if you don't get caught, you could still be doing harm to yourself. We all learned in junior high health class that sex can lead to STDs and pregnancy. Did you know that a recent study by scientists has shown that teenage drinking can deteriorate you teeth? There is a strong link between erosion of teeth due to soft drinks and alcohol. And everyone knows about some kids from their town who were drinking and driving around, and died when their car went out of control. It would be much more worth your time to do something like going swimming with your friends.
Many teens think that nothing bad can ever happen to them. That's why we take risks, because we think we'll never get caught. Well, not true, because I got caught. I screwed up once, and I learned from it and haven't done it since. One night last summer, my boyfriend and I decided to hang out ... at 3 in the morning. So he drove his sister's car over to my house, picked me up, and we drove around my block a few times. I was nervous doing it in the first place, so I didn't even have fun. And to top it off, later I got caught.
I regret doing that so much now. I could have waited to hang out with my boyfriend until the next day. I wouldn't have been scared, and I wouldn't have gotten in trouble. Just think what could have happened. We could have hurt someone or ourselves. A cop might have pulled us over, and then we'd have been in big trouble, since neither one of us had our permits. We were extremely lucky to only be caught by our parents.
So ladies, I'm not trying to bore you, but remember to be safe this summer. It will save you a lot of hurt. Go swimming, go shopping, whatever ... Just have fun ... the right way!