The Sound of Teen-hood!

When deciding which song to choose for the assignment regarding lyrics that describe the teenage years, it wasn't very hard for me to think of one. "16 Going on 17" from The Sound of Music immediately came to mind--mainly because of the title. Obviously it's going to be about growing up; the words are about the transition from age 16 to age 17. I haven't seen the movie in years, but I didn't really think that the words in this song would apply much to life here and now. When I actually read the lyrics, though, I realized it actually did apply to the teenage years, even better than I would have expected. The male character, Rolf, tells Leisl that her life is going to be tough--men are going to try to take advantage of her and she needs to be prepared for the world that's out there. Even Leisl knows that she's innocent--she states at one point in the song, "innocent as a rose, bachelor dandies, drinkers of brandies, what do I know of those?" Man can I relate to this! I'll be the first to admit that I live a very sheltered life. I have no idea what most drinking games are; I couldn't tell you what smell was associated with what drug; I don't even know where I would get any of these things if I wanted to (but hey, I have gained a vast knowledge of Sesame Street characters in the last two years). I think it's good to have someone helping you through things. That's what my friends do! They ignore me when I make stupid comments that show that I really do live in a cave, and they help me figure out what I need to know in order to understand what young folk are up to these days. They keep me hip to the style of the hooligans around McFarland. In all honesty, I think we could all use a little Rolf in our lives, and the Rolfs out there could use a little Leisl! Especially during the teenage years, where balance is so incredibly hard to find...