"A Typical Teenager’s Night Out”

On my blog, I talk a lot about Fun Life.  What exactly is Fun Life? What do we do there anyway? This article explains all that,  I sent this article to the Santa Clartia Magazine a long time ago, but nothing ever happened with it.  This article expresses some of my not so happy emotions that sometimes happen as a young adult with a disability.  This is how I felt before I started coming to Fun Life.  I still struggle with those  emotions, but having Fun Life as an outlet has made things a lot better!  Enjoy!

  

Imagine that you’re a teenager in Santa Clarita with a disability.  It ‘s Friday night.  It’s been a long stressful week at school, and you just want to relax. You didn’t make any plans with friends.  Even if you did, it’s very hard to get your friends to stick to their commitments.  They cancel on you at the last minute. Most of your friends are able-bodied, so they can move from one place to the other much easier then you can.  They’re just about ready to their driver’s licenses, while you’ll never be able to because of your disability. It makes you feel left behind doesn’t it? What can you do?  It ‘s not your fault you have a disability. You wish you didn’t have it.  If you didn’t have a disability, you could keep up with your friends and be part of the “in crowd.” Are there any activities out here geared toward people with disabilities? You say to yourself in your mind. Your parents feel your pain, and are thinking the same thing. They’re wondering if there are any activities out here that are fun, that you can do, that also promote the positive moral values that they’ve worked so hard to instill in you. 

Somehow in that moment of desperation, you remember that a friend told you about Fun Life a long time ago. Fun Life is an extension of Young Life— A Christian

Club that is designed to reach out to junior high and high school students.   Fun Life is the one designed for teens and young adults with disabilities. You remember that your friend told you they do activities such as a Karaoke night, a Halloween dance, a Christmas Party, and, they even have dinner. Since it is a Christian club, there is always a short message about God. There are also skits. You also remember that your friend told you that the club meets twice a month on Fridays from six o’ clock to eight o’ clock.

            Excited, you tell your parents. They say yes because you’ve been so depressed lately that they’re willing to try anything to make you feel better.

            Friday night comes, and you go to Fun Life. You look around and see a lot of people in wheelchairs. You start talking to people and you realize that you have a lot in common.  You feel comfortable. “How come I didn’t know about this sooner?” you ask yourself out loud. 

            You’re having a great time singing some pretty silly songs.  You can’t help but wonder who wrote the songs-—like The Banana song. The last verse says, “Hug A Banana.” “Hug A Banana?” Are they crazy?

Then you play hot potato and do the chicken dance, and they do their version of a turkey bowl.  Then it’s time for the skit and a message. It’s Thanksgiving so everyone is dressed like a bunch of Indians.  Hearing them talk in funny accents is hilarious!

Then, It’s time to go home.  You had so much fun that you beg your parents to bring you back next time and they say okay.  This is your idea of a typical teenager’s night out.