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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1995)
Wednesday March 22, 1995 ■ The Battalion • Page 11 We must all cut apron strings Move to independence proves to be inevitable journey From our first steps to leaving for col lege, we walk toward independence. From the parents’ points of view, when they look at their grown chil dren, it may seem as if all their sacri fices and agonizing choices have gone unnoticed. But, children remember. We remember lullabies in the rock ing chair and pancakes on Sunday mornings. We remember the car games played to pass the time on long trips. Birthday parties, even though the pictures didn’t come out. Whis pers of encouragement. Spankings. Wheelbarrow rides and Slip-N-Slides. Christmas morning rituals. Sand wiches with the crusts cut off. Hugs. Pajamas with feet. Temper-tanrums. The tickle game and beat the clock. Homemade popsicles. Naps in the hammock. Playing outside until dark. All the memories of childhood that we think stay safely packed away in the family photo album surface in the way we go about daily activities like fingerprints. However different each person’s childhood may be, so much of our adulthood is shaped by our child hood experiences. When I go home now or call my par ents to tell them about my latest col lege experience, I know they feel that I am growing up and away from them. In a way that is true. But, the experi ences they gave me and the sacrifices they made for me, gave me a model of the type of parent I want to be. Of all the things I remember about the childhood that my parents made for me, the one thing I don’t remember is telling them thank you. -Jenny Magee is a junior English and journalism major > putf Oo^ • F\M Qmvc. SA5meM- e**e*JL » s-nsgTQjeg ^ ^ v 1 1 u ^ ’7’ou’ll blink your eyes, and the next thing you’ll know, they will be this big,” my boyfriend’s fa ther told the mother of three squirming, bright eyed children sitting at the restaurant table next to ours. Then he smiled at his own grown sons. The mother politely smiled back and went about the business of freeing her son from the straps of his high chair. Maybe she pictured him in his prom tuxedo or or envisioned his determined look on a college-aged face. Maybe for a brief moment she tasted the pain of re leasing the child from her protection and allowing him to live his own life. She quietly glanced at the two older sons, but was immediately distracted by the younger son’s attempt to scoop a handful of ketchup off his plate. He was still two years old, and she was still the center of his world. So the mo ment passed without consequence — like all the tiny moments that would turn her baby son into a man. But time alone cannot make a man or a woman. It is the experiences that begin the moment children breathe their first breath of air that makes a child an adult. And these experiences, especially in early childhood, are deter mined largely by they child’s parents. My friends and I often talk about how lucky we are to have been blessed with parents who cared so much about the type of people we would become. I didn’t always feel this way. My family’s importance to me was sharp ened as college pulled me to the perimeter of their world. During junior high, on certain days, I was ashamed to admit that I had parents, let alone be seen in public with them. One day when I was about 13 years old, I went to the movies with my mother, but I made her drop me off at the front door while she parked the car. I didn’t want to be seen walking into the popular teenage hang-out with my mother. I can’t imag ine how that must have hurt her. There was this look on her face of accepting pain. I think that was the moment when my mother became a person to me. It was the moment I re alized how much she had sacrificed for me. As children, we sometimes think that it is the parents’ job to graciously accept the backlash when time pulls us in different directions and we are not sure of which way to go. During my high school years, there was an ongoing struggle to break away from their authority and to cling to it at the same time. “I want my own life. I want to make my own mistakes,” I would tell my par ents in the same conversation I had be gun by asking their advice. As most parents will tell you, parent ing isn’t such an easy job. Children don’t come equipped with a trouble-shooting guide, and modern society doesn’t pro vide an ideal child-rearing environment. But the natural phenomenon of growing up is often the most painful obstacle for both parents and children to come to terms with. From the minute we are born, we begin to grow up and away from our parent’s protec tive grasp. Nature demands it of us. ir is hy Tb AMckicau THAT I'M PtePARfD T<5 dl*. %6'R'i>€%! s The Battalion Established in 1893 Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. Contact the opinion editor for information on submitting guest columns. EDITORIAL BOARD Mark Smith Editor in chief Jay Robbins Heather Winch Senior Managing Managing editor editor for Business Sterling Hayman Opinion editor Erin Hill Asst, opinion editor Run with It The newly appointed Texas A&M System regents should make the most of their new jobs. On Monday, Gov. George W. Bush appointed three new regents to the Texas A&M System. The three re gents, who will each serve a six-year term, will have much to deal with during their terms. As the A&M System grows, so too does the responsibility of being a re gent. With further expansion, new problems will surely arise. For exam ple, the attempt to merge Texas A&M International University into the University of Texas ^ System is something that would have to be dealt with by the new regents. In addition, the new re gents will be under in tense public scrutiny, in part due to the questionable actions of past Texas A&M System regents. The new regents should be the ones who redeem the public perception of Texas A&M and her regents; their be havior must be beyond reproach. Regents are our leaders, in addi tion to representing us. Instead of causing problems, they must guide us through them. The Texas A&M System is sure to experience more growing pains as it moves into the 21st century. Our re gents must be prepared to work through those inevitable problems so that A&M can remain a world-class University. One way to ensure A&M’s contin ued world-class status is to keep lines of communication open between the regents and the students, faculty and administration of A&M. Currently, we do not have a student representative on the board of regents, which means that the voice of the .^\ student body is often easily overlooked. Regents should take steps to include the stu dent body’s concerns in their decision making. They also should seek out represen tatives from the student body who can serve as this liaison. The priorities of the Texas A&M System should be the same priorities of those chosen to represent it. Keeping the students, faculty and administration in mind will help to ensure that obligation is met. The Texas A&M System is'a world class one, and in turn should have re gents with world-class performance Mail Playboy advertisement not "highly detrimental" I am writing in response to Marc Woodruffs attack on the insidious Play boy. Marc, I seriously think that he needs to lighten up just a little bit. I’ve been receiving Playboy monthly for quite some time now. I don’t think I’ve received any of the “highly detri mental” effects he claims this magazine is having on me, nor have any of my friends. I did get a headache once while reading one, but I think it was just those cologne ads. Try picking one up sometime. It’s ac tually a pretty good read. Deric K. Walpole Class of ’92 Nude body represents beauty, natural state I am writing in response to the mail call letter, “Playboy ad demeans women, is detrimental to men as well” on March 20. First of all, as a woman, I was sad dened to read this. I do not see how the mere look of a naked body can be so of fensive. It is a shame that the presence of a naked body is lumped together with pornography. The human body is a work of art and something beautiful to look at. Playboy portrays this beauty, which everyone beholds — women and men. In no way is it demeaning or detri mental. If nudity is in no way associat ed with violence or sexual acts, how can that be pornography? We were all born into this world naked and we all have bodies, so why by ashamed to look at naked pictures of women or men that are done in good taste? The body is beautiful and not at all offensive. Furthermore, being naked is natural. People who are so quick to push off con servative ideas are missing the beauty of life. Every time you see a naked body, you should thank God for creating such a beautiful creature. Peace — enjoy life. Shelly R. Cormier Class of ’93 Guns serve as easiest way to kill people In response to Trey Morton’s letter on March 21, it is not as easy to kill a person with a rock or a bat as it is to kill a person with a gun. It just isn’t. I ask Morton — what kind of gun had he envisioned? Had he mentally loaded this gun that killed people as well as rocks? I concede that it is possible to kill a person with a rock or a bat, but honest ly, would be be more frightened by a mafia hit man threatening him with a rock or a disgruntled worker with a small handgun? Marcus Goodyear Class of ’97 Accompanied by two signatures The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, clarity and accuracy. Letters may be sub mitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald. A valid student I.D. is required. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call Fax: (409) 845-2647 013 Reed McDonald E-mail: Texas A&M University Batt@tamvm1.tamu.edu College Station, TX 77843-1 111 Trip expands cultural horizons Mexico excursion opens eyes to poverty, American behavior D uring Spring Break, everyone I met at South Padre suggested a trip to Matamoros, Mexico. To be honest, the prospects of 50-cent beers and dollar mar- garitas were tempting enough to lure me across the border. After a long day on the beach, my spring break group and I decided to venture south for no other clear reason than to consume alcoholic beverages in mass quantities. Now that I think about it, that was the underlying theme behind the whole week of keg stands and beer bongs that was Spring Break 1995, Padre style. The night sky had settled over South Texas. Nursing our sunburns with aloe vera and Anheuser Busch, we set out for Mecca, or rather Matamoros. Throughout the course of our 30-mile drive, the words my mother said to me before I left for Padre 36 hours earlier played over and over in my head. “Drew, do not go to Mexico.” “Come on Mom, you know I won’t.” “And if you do, don’t drive your car. It will get stolen.” Feeling guilty, yet excited, while at the same time nauseat ed, I boogied down Texas 48; my best friend was in the passen ger seat and three young women from t.u. were in the back. As I tried to keep up with a group of people I thought were my friends, I started thinking that I was indeed following the Andretti family. Stick together. That was the message everyone voiced after we parked our cars in Brownsville and headed across the border. With 19 people in our group, I figured sticking together wouldn’t be too hard. Five minutes into Matamoros, we lost someone. Fortunately, he resurfaced about 10 minutes later, and we were able to continue our assault on the bars. As we walked down the main strip towards another bar, I was immediately struck by the overt poverty and wretched ness of the citizens of Matamoros. Little kids lined the street pushing one dollar packs of cigarettes, 75-cent roses and 50- cent boxes of chiclets on the thrifty mass of drunken Ameri can college students. A dollar here, two dollars there, some smokes and a necklace. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for these people. I am well aware of the poverty that exists in the world. I had never had the opportunity to be exposed to it first hand. The remarks made on the streets by spring breakers hurt my feelings. Tip jars in bars were left empty. The young kids ' and old women were being haggled for lower prices on their goods. As if two bucks was too expensive to pay for a necklace._ Do business with these people, do not exploit them. The sight of six- and seven-year-old kids wandering the street, desperately trying to sell various goods, seemed nor mal — which it was — yet perverse — which it also was. Out of pity for these young vendors, I bought chiclets to freshen my breath, a rose for a young lady and a necklace to commemorate my trip. All fear I had of going to Matamoros disappeared after ; about 30 minutes. However, continuous viewing of the na- ; tives’ plight made for a very sobering experience. These people were so dependent on us to fuel their deca dent excuse for an economy. It was sad. Partying for pesos and exploiting this poor town by milk ing it was far too tempting, for everyone else there. I had fun, and it appeared as if it was fun the Mexican people wanted us to have. But you’ve got to figure if there was a better way to make a buck, they’d gladly take it. What about cleaning up that place after the spring breakers are gone? What about selling chiclets and cigarettes and roses? What is life like in Matamoros in the eleven other months out of the year? Is it a living party or rather a living poverty? These are the things we do not think about when we go down there to party and to exploit and to consume large quantities of alcohol for a low price. Stop to think about the people of town you are invading. Think about the people who sell the cigarettes, the chiclets and the roses. Be kind to them. Buy from them, and, what the hell, pay the price they ask, not the one you bargain for. They need our business, but they do not need our exploitation. Have fun, go to Matamoros and show some respect to those that call that city their home. As Americans we are lucky, remember that. Be proud of that, but do not use it as leverage to denounce another people. Drew Diener is a junior English major
