I remember it wasn't easy being a teenager.
It's an awkward and weird time when hormones spring all sorts of fun surprises on you, like an acne breakout on school picture day, or sounding like a squeaky toy for a few weeks while your voice changes.
When I hit puberty, aside from the squeaky voice, I also started sprouting hair - almost overnight.
Unlike my friends who were getting an even covering of body hair, I started growing hair only on my shoulders and arms. It was long, black hair too, that kind of made me look like a werewolf if I happened to be on the "skins" side of a "skins versus shirts" basketball game.
Probably at this point you're wondering where I'm going with all this body hair talk, but actually I was just reminiscing about being a teenager.
I've been thinking about my teenaged years ever since this past Saturday evening, when I had to go out late for milk. I had promised to go out earlier for the milk, but I got caught up in a video game and one hour turned to four quite suddenly.
So at around midnight, I sploshed over to my car and drove to the nearby gas station/convenience store for the promised moo-moo juice.
As usual, there was a sizable crowd of teens hanging around the gas station parking lot. It's not an isolated experience, as I seem to see kids hanging out there every time I make a late-night snack run.
The group, larger on this night than most other nights, was predominantly male, but there was a girl or two among the ball caps and baggy pants.
When I got home with the milk (and candy bars, video game magazines, chips and licorice that's why you don't send me to the store), my first reaction was to rant about "kids today."
"What is a group of 20 teens doing just roaming the streets unsupervised at midnight?" I asked.
I have never felt particularly intimidated, but my wife has admitted she doesn't like going there late at night because of the gangs of teens. A couple friends have spoken of altercations as well, but I don't think the kids are there to cause trouble.
I just think there isn't anything for them to do on the weekends.
I can remember not wanting to sit around in my house on a perfectly good Saturday night. But we were lucky because it seemed every weekend there was a dance at the high school or local community centre. When it wasn't a dance, it was a lip-synching or break-dancing contest, or a supervised house party.
I also seem to remember the local police didn't tolerate groups of youths congregating in parking lots at all hours, either - and neither did local businesses.
But what's the current reality for a Squamish teen?
Is it because there aren't enough events, places or activities around for these kids or have I been missing out on some really wicked cool parking lot experience all these years?
I worry about these things because I have young kids of my own who will soon have to deal with all the angst of being a teenager.
And if it's all the same to them, I'd rather have to deal with their strange-body-hair issues than worry about where they are on a Saturday night.
