I was going to start this story with something like..."It's already hard enough being a kid, but then add in the pandemic and..."

Then I came to my senses...IT AIN'T HARD BEING A KID!  Unless you're a teenage girl.  Teenage girls are the worst and they eat their own kind.

So instead I'll start like this- In a WalletHub survey North Dakota ranked 46th in "States With The Least At-Risk Youth".  WalletHub is classifying "youth" as 18-24 years of age and are compared over 16 key indicators.  Including factors such as education, employment, obesity, drug use and more

North Dakota came out at #46 (the higher number the least at-risk youth) Not sure if our neighboring states got the memo- Wyoming #11, Montana #17, South Dakota #18...Minnesota at #47 just beat ND in a photo finish. Please take a quick peek at the study here.

Seems idleness and social disconnection are two of the biggest problems at-risk kids face.  Not to be to simplistic about this (but I will)

JUST GET A JOB! 

I've had a job since I was 11 years old.  I started delivering newspapers and have been employed somewhere ever since.  So, no idleness for young Scott.  In my early teens I worked at the YMCA as a day camp counselor and lifeguard.  Definitely no social disconnection there.

My daughter started working at the Central Dakota Humane Society when she was just 14.  I had to fill out a form at the Capital and got asked "do any of the animals bite?" Why even ask that?  Well, my daughter will be 30 next year and has always been employed at one place or another ever since.

A job makes you money, gives you independence, works on your social skills, keeps you off the couch, and connects you with other working stiffs that are just waiting for quitting time.

A job, if you don't have one...maybe you should.


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