Your Opinion: Personal experience shared with Torres

Dear Editor:

This letter is a response to Ms. Torres. I hope she still has access to the News Tribune because I want her to know I write out of love not anger.

All I know about you is what I have learned from your letters. While you are now a young adult, obviously, you once lived in Jefferson City (I assume as a teenager) and are very angry because our community did not meet your needs. I don't know when or under what circumstances you lived here, nor do I know your current age (I'm 80), so I am not qualified to comment on your feelings. Your well-written letters clearly reveal your pain.

Before I say more, let me introduce myself and share with you my experience of life in Jefferson City. When my husband died in 1956 I moved here with my three pre-school age children. My rebellious teenage years were behind me and at age 24 I had entered another stage of life, so my experience has been different from yours, But that does not mean that I am unaware that our community is not perfect. At least I agree with you that we have fallen short of meeting the social needs of all of our teenage population. I know many young people who feel as you do (maybe with less anger.)

Because I am an "old-aged senior citizen" I'm not sure that we are the primary reason why we have not done better, However, it is true that we do tend to forget what it was like to be a teenager. The transition from childhood to adulthood with its raging hormones and rebellious impatience for independence is as stressful, maybe more so, than any other stage of life.

If I may let me say that my life experience leads me to believe that as your life unfolds you will continue to be frustrated by the many imperfections that will come your way. Let me pass on to you what I learned from my grandmother (who at one time was a professional wrestler). She taught me that what happened to me in life was not as important as how I responded to it. During my long life I have had to meet many challenges. I have learned that my grandmother was right.

This imperfect community has met my needs.