On top of that there are family problems, divorced and single parents strapped for cash and time. Nearly half of today's teens shuttle back and forth between mom's and dad's, lugging 20-pound book bags and emotions frayed by feuding parents. Other kids try to squeeze in homework while helping a single mom or dad run the house. They mind their siblings, make supper, contribute to the rent, shop for groceries. The frantic pace takes its toll.
Many teens are surly, sleep-starved, snapping at random little things.
You're continually trying to do everything and do it well. It's taxing emotionally. Like many teen-agers, Crellin has trouble sleeping. He lies in bed thinking, plotting the next day's schedule. He'll worry about tests, term papers, track meets, getting to work on time, seeing his girlfriend, and hoping, praying he hasn't forgotten his calculus or anatomy homework while running back and forth between his divorced mom and dad.