Xpress, the Coolest Section of the St. Petersburg Times, is the home for features, news and views of interest to young readers. Most of the work in Xpress, which appears on Mondays in Floridian, is produced by the Times' X-Team. The team of journalists ages 9-17 from around the Tampa Bay area is selected every year at the end of the school year to serve during the following school term. The current team of 12 was chosen out of 150 applicants. Watch for X-Team application forms in Xpress during the month of May.
Read the reviews by Xpress Film Critic Billy Norris
IT!
Dreading the homecoming hurdle
By CECILIA TUCKER
Published October 11, 2004
Every year I find myself at this same place when it comes to a major activity at school. I first have to decide whether I will go to the event, and that is a huge deal. I get harassed by friends and parents about going, but most of all, I have a talk with myself about whether ultimately I will regret not being a part of my high school's social scene when these sometimes dismal four years have ended.
I feel incredibly stuck when I face a decision about whether I will participate in a traditional event. So here I sit, telling myself I should go to homecoming this year because it is the right thing to do and because deep down I do not want to be left out.
I like going to the special events at my school, but I am afraid of being rejected. Isn't that a scary concept?
Here's what goes on in my head: If I go to the homecoming dance with someone, my friends may decide I have isolated myself from them. They may think I won't be hanging around with them at the party, but that may not be what I want. If I go with a group, it may look as if I couldn't get a date and I'm a stupid loser. No one wants to admit they can't get a date for the dance even if they say, "I'd rather go with a group; that will be so much more fun!" Do you believe that line? I never do, and even if I did, I am not sure I have ever really felt that way.
Being in high school is tough, and knowing whether I fit in is not always easy. So having a date for homecoming isn't that simple.
Then there is the pressure of the sex, drinking, drugs, parties and all the rest - all the preparation before homecoming and the fallout afterward. Before the event, there is this gargantuan buildup about who is going with whom, where everyone is going to eat, who will be wearing what and who will arrive in what.
Then the aftermath is overwhelming - even more important than the event. This is the part that often gets to me. The homecoming dance is coming to an end, and the parties and hotel rooms are opening for the night. Where will I be going for the remainder of the evening? Some people go out for an early morning breakfast. Others go to someone's home, where a group spends the night and a parent prepares breakfast for everyone the next day.
Then there are the hotel rooms, the all-night unsupervised parties, and the couples that go off alone for "their" memorable first time.
This last sentence is the pressure I am not sure I am ready for, and that scares me the most. I sometimes talk big, but I am not always ready for that kind of responsibility. I want to go to homecoming, but is there a way to just keep it low-key and fun? Does it have to be such a big deal?
I don't know if homecoming could be fun again, but if there were a way for that to happen with less pressure, I'd be all for it. I get tired of jumping hurdles. It's all about saving my energy, you know, and lowering my stress.
IT! Private thoughts of the Indomitable Teen is written by Cecilia Tucker under the editorial guidance of a panel of teenagers (in exchange for pizza and volunteer hours). Tucker is a licensed marriage and family therapist at the Counseling Center for New Direction in Seminole. Comments are welcome. You may write c/o: IT!, Xpress, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail Floridian@sptimes.com If you are interested in being on the teen editorial panel, please contact Cecilia Tucker at revcecilia@msn.com
