This is a list published in the paper about the top things kids worry about in the U.S.
1. Drugs and drinking around me
2. How well others like me
3. Hunger and poverty in the U.S.
4. Looks
5. Nuclear bombing in the U.S.
6. School Performance
7. That I might lose my best friend
8. That I might not get a good job
9. That my parents might divorce
10. That one of my parents might die
11. Violence in the U.S.
12. Whether my body is growing normally
I put the list in an outliner on the Mac and let Nicole order it most concern to least. She gave it a lot of thought and came up with this list, adding a couple of her own. (Tornadoes scare her more than most kids.)
1. That my parents might divorce
2. That one of my parents might die
3. How well others like me
4. That someone might rob the house
5. Drugs and drinking around me
6. Tornadoes
7. That I might lose my best friend
8. School Performance
9. Violence in the U.S.
10. Nuclear bombing in the U.S.
11. That I might not get a good job
12. Hunger and poverty in the U.S.
13. Looks
14. Whether my body is growing normally
I then read the list to Danny to find out if he worried about what things he worried about most. Danny doesn’t worry much.
1. Drinking & Driving.
– People might get in an accident.
2. Drugs and drinking around me
– Kind of. That they might give me some and I say no.
3. That someone might rob the house
– Kind of worry about it.
4. Hunger and poverty in the U.S.
– I worry about that. That they hardly have anything.
5. Violence in the U.S.
– I worry about it.
6. That my parents might divorce.
– I hardly ever worry about it.
7. That one of my parents might die.
– I don’t worry about that.
8. School Performance
+ Making good grades.
– I like that.
+ Doing bad in school.
– I might get in trouble.
9. How well others like me
– I don’t worry about that either.
10. Tornadoes
– No.
11. That I might lose my best friend
– I don’t worry about that.
12. Nuclear bombing in the U.S.
– I don’t worry about that.
13. That I might not get a good job
– I don’t worry about that.
14. Looks
– I don’t worry about that. (How do you look?) Fine.
15. Whether my body is growing normally
– I don’t worry about that.