Hanging At The Harmons...

Last night I needed to do a late night store run. Thanks to our fine city planners a few years back, they approved the building of a supermarket about a mile or so from our house. There's another store farther away to the north. We don't really go there as much.

It's a nice store, where I went last night. If you're familiar with our area, you'll recognize the name, Harmons. The store is across the street from a huge outdoor mall--there because of even more approvals form the city council. Shopping centers attract teenagers like moths to a flame. It's no different for our little town. I have noticed the kids hanging out at Harmons were young, probably under sixteen-years old. My guess is, once they get their driver's license, they can go wherever they want--probably not necessarily the local grocery store.

I know the older generation (of which I am now a member...) never understands the younger generation. The same holds true for me. I DO understand hanging out with your friends. We would go to a park or ride out bikes, or find something else to do.

But what I don't understand is why the Harmons? Just across the way there are stores, restaurants, and even a little park complete with fountains and lights and lots of stuff to do.

I guess, if I had gone over to the mall last night, I probably would have seen scores of teenagers just hanging out, talking to their friends, and wishing they had more of their parent's money to spend on stuff. Maybe the teenagers that hang out at the grocery store are a different breed, those that don't care to be at the "hippest" place.

And maybe that's where we would have hung out if we had a nice, shinny, relative-new grocery store back in our day.