The Wrong Rite of Passage

I remember back when I was in high school and some of the new found freedoms that came with it. I had friends with cars and transportation and so it was nice to be able to go out without having to bum a ride from my parents. I looked at it as a responsibility and privilege to be able to go out like this on my own. My parents always had trust that I would do the right thing and hopefully all these years later they still feel that their trust was not misplaced. I think inherently all parents hope that their kids will have that same sense of repsonsibility when it comes to growing up. Unfortunately in the case of the two pictured teens in this picture, there appears to be a severe lack of responsibility.

In case you didn't know, this was a surveillance photo taken of two girls in Georgia who walked into a supermarket and casually went over to the Bank of America located inside the supermarket. They proceeded to hand the teller a note demanding money during which time they behaved normally and even joked and smiled with the teller as they calmly collected the money and walked out of the supermarket with what authorities claim to be 'significant' amounts of money. This is just the latest in a string of robberies in the past year perpetrated by young women in such a brazen manner. Last year, a similar string of robberies occured here in Virginia where a young woman armed with a cell phone (and often nothing else) would go up to the teller and demand money with a note claiming she was armed. In most cases it was not true and eventually she was caught, but it seems to have inspired others to make a go at it.

These two girls don't look to be out of high school yet and for them to deliver a note demanding money should have been met with laughter rather than fear. The two robbers appear to be cheaper versions of Paris Hilton and the like and appear to be doing it for kicks rather than out of need. I don't know what exactly the policy of the Bank is when it comes to robbers, but I'm pretty sure that it is that they should comply with an armed robber rather than try to be a hero. In this case, the two girls don't look threatening in the least and the fact that they apparently laughed while perpetrating the crime only adds to speculation that they were likely unarmed.

Teens at that age are still trying to figure things out. They have this attitude that they know anything and everything about the world and that the rest of us, as we age, are getting more and more clueless about things. I remember those days and i realize that I really didn't know that much at all. Would that have led me to believe that I could perpetrate a robbery in broad daylight and get away with it? Probably not. This is because I know that with surveillance systems and modern police work, it won't be very long before I would be caught. If these two aren't caught within a short time, I will be very surprised. Seeing as how these two are probably riding high on the fact that they robbed a bank, they will not likely be smart and stash the cash. All anyone will have to do is see how quickly someone suddenly starts acquiring new possessions. New wealth leads to a propensity to spend it; that will likely lead to their downfall.

There are many rites of passage that you go through when growing up. It can be a trying journey at times but it all ends up shaping you for the future. I like to think that all experiences happen for a reason and that it's these experiences that stay with you for the rest of your life and temper your future actions. For most of us it is common things we will always share with our peers, the gawkiness growing up, finding out where we fit in with everyone else. For these two girls, it looks like their future will be tempered by prison time. If not prison, at least a very restricted lifestyle. Such things cause you to grow up even faster than you may want to; but it's definitely a rite of passage you should avoid before it leads you down the wrong road. Too late in this case it seems.