The oddest coincidence happened to me. I'm doing research on things that are killing our teenagers. It consisted of opening up the websites and going through lists of things. Yes I saw this word; Trunking. In my head I got a picture of climbing into the trunk of some friend's car when I was like 16 years old to sneak into a drive-in movie theater. It brought a smile to my face and some fond summer memories.
So I didn't look at the sites, I moved on. But then I went for a walk and sure enough up by the high school I see not one, but four kids getting into the trunk of some car. I walked right up and said, "Hey, what are you guys doing? Don't you know that teenage trunking is dangerous?" I spluttered at them. They did not even bat an eye, they simply said" we are on our way home from school and there is not enough room in the car, don't worry we do this everyday!"
I was flummoxed and though I didn't do anything about it I did go home and begin my investigation of this new trunking.
What would possess a perfectly sane (well if a teen could ever be considered that) teenager to stuff himself or his friends into the trunk of a car. I didn't have to go far to learn this answer, as my son walked into the house and told me why.
New laws have made it that way, he said. No longer can we look forward to getting our licenses and be able to drive around with our friends. Some states don't allow you to have any one but your family in the car, some you can't drive after midnight till your 18 and still there is the other silly one that says I can only take one friend in my car. "They kind of set it up so we had to start trunking." That was his parting statement.
I followed him into the room after doing some more research. I wanted to be armed with hard facts for him to swallow. I began my lesson to him with. "As a parent I believe I have the right and need to protect you and with that I want to first explain to you why I think trunking is bad and what the consequences will be if you ever are involved with it, in any way shape or form.
He gave me one of those, jeez looks and sat down to listen. So I spent the next say half hour talking to him about getting gassed, suffocated, cold, overheated, squished and tossed out of the trunk. I used the word dying a lot and how much that would upset me.
When we were done, I left knowing I did what I could, and of course my parting shot of ..."Oh and by the way, if I see any one of your teenage friends trunking, I will take their license plate, call the school, call their parents and call the highway patrol because I care what happens to them."
Accidents happen every day. They happen from carelessness and from human error. Teenage trunking is dangerous and not an accident. My teenager knows what he should be doing to help take care of himself and his passengers and if he gets goofy or stupid and trunks, well then I will be there to give out the consequences. Hopefully I will get the chance before a horrible life changing event takes place.
Corinne Bridgewater is a licensed nurse and mom of three sons who is passionate about doing research on any topic that touches her life. If you would like to hear her thoughts on parenting teenagers, then please go to http://www.getfreeparenting.info
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