It has been a busy spring and I am now in the thick of teen birthday parties, high school graduation parties and proms. It takes a little patience to deal with a swarm of teenagers at a party. A party presents an exciting opportunity for teens to socialize in a situation outside of their usual school environment. You can feel the pheromones and the hum of electricity in the room. It can make you woozy just to be around it.
A reader must move quickly through the group to keep them engaged and in wonder. This usually is what keeps the teens in control. However, I have had a few instances with young men where they overstepped themselves.
This actually happened to me at a birthday party set up at a local restaurant. I was set up in a corner and engaging a crowd of 13 year olds with palm and crystal ball reading. The girls were giggly and excited. The boys, well, let’s just say they were typical 13 year old boys pushing boundaries where they could take them to try to make an impression. Everything went well even though this group was a little wild, but still fun. The both boys and girls were particularly interested in me describing what their future spouse would look like and where they would meet them. This went on for almost two hours straight with the group right on top of me.
I had fifteen minutes left in my allotted time and I was alone at my table because most of the kids had been read and were hanging out on the restaurant patio. But two boys approached my table and I invited them to get a reading. One sat next to me and the other grinned across the table as he sat down.
Something was up. I asked them what I could do for them.
The boy next to me said, “Yeah. I want you to tell me how many hot b*****s I’m going to F***?”
Offensive, right? Most adults would have yelled at the kid or demanded that they leave immediately. The kid was definitely going for shock value and his buddy was there to witness my fury and wrath as my face became red with rage.
However, none of those things happened. I have had a lot of experience with teens and I was an avid fan of Breaking Bad and The Simpsons(Yo, Jesse Pinkman & Bart don’t-have-a cow-man!)
I have to admit I had to pause for a moment and look downward to gather myself. But it was in that moment that I realized that I was still in my role as fortune-teller and this was a clear moment to make a difference in this boy’s future. So I looked him straight in the eye.
“Is this really the man you want to be?” I said.
“Huh?” the boy’s mouth slacked open. The other boy stopped grinning and stared back.
“Is this really who you want to be?” I repeated. “Because right now, you aren’t treating me with any respect and I am an older person and a woman. However, since I am reading your fortune, professionally speaking this is what I see. If you continue with this attitude you will have a lot of women, but, never the woman you really, really want. I predict that you will have plenty of women who will be needy, have no self-esteem and will whine constantly for attention. So – is this really the man you want to be?”
The boy gulped and squeaked, ‘I’m sorry. I apologize.” He got up quickly with his buddy closely in tow and didn’t look back once.
Here was an opportunity to use a situation as a teaching moment without humiliating the boys. I am hoping that maybe this experience will change his attitude and his future to have healthier relationships.
I related this story to a friend of mine who works with kids in the juvenile justice system. She was impressed at how I handled the situation and shared my story with some guards who work with incarcerated youth.
Respect is a two way street. You have to model it to get it. You can’t demand it, but you can stand for your own self respect and have it make an impact. You can talk to kids with truth and get your point across, correct poor decisions without humiliation or yelling.
Even a fortune –teller can do it.
For more information on how you can book a party or event contact me at laura@lauraewest.com or call 214-334-0769.
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Laura E. West is a professional fortune-teller in Dallas, TX. She provides intuitive entertainment including palmistry, tarot card, tea leaf and lipsology (lipstick print) readings. Between reading at parties and events and training for marathons, she is always on the run! Catch up with her every third Saturday at Viva’s Lounge and the Cirque du Burlesque show!