Alief Elsik High School - Ramblings Yearbook (Houston, TX)

Page 154 text:

Single Parent Familie Touch Teen Live Whether caused by divorce or death, the number of single parent families today is stag- gering. In Harris Countv alone, fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. That doesn't include many families who have ex- perienced the death of a years old. Melissa, a junior, only ten years old wY her mother died in accident. She said, Wt I woke up in the hospite asked how everyone vn They kept telling me t my father and my li brother Jeff were goin£ It came as a big shock to me when I was told my parents were getting divorced - I was only eleven years old. parent. Either way, it seems if the loss of a parent or divorce in a family always comes as a shock. Suzanne, a senior in high school, said, It came as a big shock to me when I was told that my parents were getting divorced. I was only eleven be okay. Finally, later t day, they told me that m was dead. It wasn't uni got out of the hospital« returned home thal started missing her. Because they live i: family with only c parent, teenagers of come to realize the p: The Statistics Show . . . Type of Household Male head of household, wife present Male head of household, wife absent Female head of household, husband present Female head of household, husband absent Single, never married Divorced people Number in Percent of Millions Total 47.5 57.7 1.4 1.7 1.8 2.2 2.6 3.1 10 12.2 8.2 10 2 One out of eight children lived ir a single parent home. Nine out of ten single parent families were headed by mom. The number of single parent families headed by dad has doubled in the past decade. There were 109 divorced people for every 1.000 married ones. For blacks there were 233 divorcees p 1,000 married people. Single parent families increased from 21.7 million in 1970 to 35 million in 1983. 150 Rambler Singlc Parent Families

Page 153 text:

ityles Vary As Spring Rolls Vhat was in style tended upon who you :ed. To a prep, it was id skirts, wide belts, os, Izods, Mexican ?sses, sleeveless sweat- and Mia shoes. If you ;ed a “new waver,” he uld probably say any- ng goes. Aany students shared lior Missy Brown's w, 'T don't really dress ppy or new wave. I go a a store and buy what I ? and if it happens to be jppy or new wave fine; wear it anyway.” During the winter, styles were mostly just whatever you could wear to keep warm. Sweaters, as always, were popular with every- one and Members Only jackets were also com- mon. As Spring rolled around, many seemed to be breaking loose and just about anything was in”. Fad colors included B W, bright pastels, and lots of contrast. There were cropped tops and cropped pants and Mexican dresses offered a comfortable op- tion. As a result of the movie Flashdance, the oversized layered sweat- shirt look was also very big. Plaid pleated skirts were worn with a variety of tops. in the accessories depart- ment, the biggest news- maker was twister beads. Add-a-bead necklaces were also popular. Wide wrap around belts were worn with anything from a cotton skirt to an old pair of jeans. Skirt lengths varied but generally were at mid-calf In or above the knee in mini-skirt style. In shoes, medium heeled pumps and plastic flats” were seen often. On the sporty side, white pointy toe sneakers like those worn in the fifties made a big come back. At Christmas time, ever- yone seemed to want a Cabbage Patch Doll. The dolls were made in- dividually so that no two were exactly alike. Prices ranged from $40 to $80. By Rae Rabe, Asst. Editor Keeping with current styles. Sophomore Julie Simms wears a wide wrap-around belt with a cotton plaid skirt. Photo by S. Lackey r James Stavena changed from to punk over the summer. Photo by S. Lackey Junior Shelly Hopkins likes to dress in the new wave style. Photo by S. Lackey Twister beads can be worn long or short. Junior Donna Reed chose to wear hers longer. Photo by S. Lackey Sophomore Cindy Hebert stays in style with a cropped top and pants. Photo by S. Lackey

Page 155 text:

re and hardships put •on the parent they live th. Suzanne, who has vays been active in aool stated, I know it is hard on mom having support herself and two ildren but we made it thout too many prob- ns. A change in a family •angement also brings a ange in the respon- •ilities of the family ?mbers. Many teenagers ve to sacrifice time with ends and other activities order to do things at me or earn wages to lp finances meet. When ?lissa's father decided to narry she stated, I felt yaded upon. All of a dden I had the demands three more people on -Vhen a single parent rides to remarry, the p-parent often makes nagers uncomfortable, zanne said, I feel very nfortable with my p-dad now, but it took a of adjusting because things and replaced them with hers. She also rearranged everything. I also had to learn not to talk to her in the mornings or when she was cooking, not to get excited about school, and to think twice about everything I said and did. Although there are many disadvantages of living with only one parent, there are advan- tages. As a result of living with one parent, many teens develop a closer relationship with the parent they live with and become more independent and responsible adults. Because their spouse is gone, single parents often rely heavily on their children for emotional support. I have come to realize that my father is just human and I under- stand him better. He has become very open about his feelings and we have a close relationship. Suzanne said, After the divorce, my mother I have come to realize that my father is just human and I understand him better. He has become very open about his feelings and we have a close relationship. •re was not a man in the use for four years. When came to live with us I 1 a rude awakening. All he rules changed and at ;t I didn't like it but I got ;d to it. delissa had a more ficult time adjusting to ■ with her step-mother. ? revealed, When she y step-mom) moved in i got rid of a lot of our seemed distant for a long time. But eventually she started to open up. In a way. I'm glad she got the divorce because if she hadn't, I often wonder if we would be as close as we are now. By Rae Rabe, Asst. Editor Single Parent Families Rambler 151