Dumb-asses in Suburbia

It seems there isn't enough for the teenagers to do at night where we live. It does seem to me that the whole town shuts down at 9pm, and the only thing left to do is go to IHOP, the movies, or a party at someone's house. We don't have any sort of "teen center" or teen club here, and I guess the kids are going to get bored with boozing it up at someone's house after a while.

When I was a teenager, we entertained ourselves by hanging out at Taco Bell, playing illegally at an elementary school playground (Castle Park was what we named it), stealing street signs (or borrowing on a permanent basis, as we called it), or just driving around. We never did anything that was considered harmful or REALLY destructive.

Anyway, most of the teenagers where we live seem to be overly-privileged. They drive nicer cars than mine and fork over thousands of dollars for school dances. It also seems to me that they have no regard for possessions, and treat them carelessly. I'm not speaking about all of them, but the large majority, it seems.

In The Woodlands, most neighborhoods have names, and signs with those names, at the entrance to them. The newer neighborhoods have signs made of stone, which are pretty substantial. The older neighborhoods have signs made of wood with the name carved into it, and they are pretty cool-looking. In recent years, The Woodlands has begun replacing these signs with stone ones, which diminishes the state park-like feel of the area. Someone, or several someone's, has been driving his or her car into these signs, and knocking them down. I don't know if it a group of teenagers who are doing it for kicks, or someone who lost control of their vehicle. I personally think it is the former; a teenager with a Jeep or some other type of 4x4 which is high off the road. We live off a fairly major street, which is one of the few major streets without ditches. People have also been driving through the yards of the houses on that street. It's just sad...

Our neighborhood, up until yesterday morning, had one of those previously mentioned wood signs. During the night, apparently someone drove up onto the median, through the plants, and knocked our sign over. When I left to take Zach to school yesterday, there was a cop, Park Ranger, Woodlands Community Association person, and maintenance guy standing by the sign. They were all kind of scratching their heads at the sight. When I returned home, they were loading the sign into the back of a truck. I bet that we don't get another wood sign, which is a shame. They have a lot more character than the stone ones, but are more susceptible to termites and weather.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. I hope they find the person who is doing this, and make them carve new signs, or trim the ground cover to perfection at the entrance to all of the neighborhoods.