Hmong Teenagers

Treat people well, help out each other, help out their parents--these are Hmong teenagers. There is a good side to Hmong teenagers, but there is a bad side, too. There are some teenagers who do not help and who have been in fights in Winona.
The good side of Hmong teenagers is that we are nice, friendly and helpful. Hmong teenagers are friendly to all people. Some teenagers make friends with other students and some just make friends with Hmong students. Most Hmong teenagers help their parents with cooking, washing dishes and cleaning the house. Some help in the garden, growing cabbage, corn and other vegetables. Some Hmong teenagers babysit for family and other relatives.We mostly help our parents around the house and garden. Some of the Hmong respect their parents by being helpful around the house, but some also help to translate English to Hmong for their parents at doctor's appointments, teacher conferences and a lot more places. Some Hmong teenagers obey their parents' rules to show respect.
For some Hmong teenagers, family is a big influence on the teenager. The family tries to help the teenagers get on their way in life. But, some Hmong teenagers think there is nothing to do at home and so they go out. Most of the time, their friends do, too. They think negatively about the rules at home and think what is the coolest to do and do not care anymore. They become involved in the crowd and gang-related things. People feel sorry and hurt and sad and sometimes they even get sick. Sometimes they get so sick of it and they forget about their teenager.
Some Hmong teenagers help their parents a lot at home and help their parents with translating English to Hmong. Other teenagers are not helpful to their parents because they are not home much. At our Hmong celebration in Winona in 1995, some teenagers danced traditional Hmong dances and others did a street dance. We all felt so proud and we received many compliments. It's not easy to be a Hmong kid.