Many American teenagers would be uncomfortable joining their mom and dad over a glass of wine at the dinner table but might drive away in the family car to chug beers at a party with their friends.
European adolescents, on the other hand, may sip wine at a family dinner and then tell their parents they are going to a teen beer party later -- by subway.
Why the differences?
It's his first day at Cathedral High School. As he walks through the noisy, crowded hallways, he is overcome with a sense of fear and anticipation.
Then it hits him: He has no idea where his first class is. He finally finds it, but he's 20 minutes late.
He tries to slip in without being noticed, but the door announces his entrance with a "Click, Errrrk!"
It used to be that teens nagged their parents to take them to a mall to hang out with friends, but now teens are often begging their parents for more time on the computer.
They meet on social networking sites where kids gripe, gossip, and exchange pictures and videos with others in cyberspace. Many of these teens join "online cliques."
Most kids get permission slips from their parents to go on school field trips, but Lance Rice got one from his neurologist for something a lot more important.
His doctor gave him a note saying that it was OK for him to get a driver's license.
That was necessary because Lance, 17, a Lawrence North High School student, has epilepsy and had to be seizure-free for six months before he would be allowed to get a license.
Being an integral part of his family’s business is priceless, says Marco Andretti, an IRL racer who finished second in the Indianapolis 500 when he was only 19 years old. Andretti said he can’t imagine being in the racing business without his legendary grandfather Mario Andretti, one of the most famous race car drivers of all time.
