as the father of a teenage son i now understand my parents fears when i was a teenager.
as i approached driving age we watched the price of gas go from @.25 cents a gallon to @$1.00 a gallon. we worried if i would be able to afford to drive. since we lived in the boondocks there were not any options. as my son approached driving age we watched the price of gas go from @ $1.25 a gallon to @ $3.00 a gallon. we worry if he will be able to afford to drive. since public transportation is a joke around here there are not many options.
as i entered my teen age years we were entrapped in the viet nam war. my mom's younger brother volunteered and did 2 tours in nam and 1 in thailand. nothing scared her more then the possibility of me being drafted.
luckily the war ended and the draft died with before i turned 18. i am one of few lucky birth years that did not have to register for the draft. as my son entered his teen age years we are entrapped in wars hauntingly familiar to nam. unfortunately registering for the draft is once again law. with enlistment down and the devastation of our current troops it seems reinstating the draft lottery is inevitable. nothing scares me more than the possibility of my son being drafted and sent to war.
my parents fears in the '70s are now my fears in the "new millenium".
why haven't things changed?