The Amish tradition of Rumspringa allows and encourages 16-year-old Amish teens to experiment and explore adulthood. Some of them go to the movies or the mall. The Amish believe that before a young adult is committed to their church for their lifespan, they must explore many pleasurable activities or things ahead of time and “get it out of the way.” The majority of teens explore by going to parties, having sex, and driving fast cars. The parties that they throw are crazy, out of control, and dangerous. These inexperienced teens drink heavy amounts of alcohol and experiment hard drugs. Although Rumspringa is a sacred Amish tradition, there must be changes to the guidelines to restrict dumb teenagers from making dire decisions that can cause harm. In my opinion, I would strongly consider that Rumspringa should be parent supervised but at a tolerable level.
A new study reported by NBC news states, “Poor parenting causes boys, but few girls, to be particularly prone to bad behavior.” According to this study, the parents of these innocent teens are to blame for their bad behavior during Rumspringa. As reported by Imperial Valley News, “Parenting affects addiction. Studies have shown that adverse childhood experiences lead to an increase in addictive behaviors.” The evidence is known that many young Amish adolescents use crystal meth, other hard drugs, and consume alcohol during this stage of their life yet not much has been done to prevent this from occurring.
It’s true that 90% of Amish who go through Rumspringa return back to their faith. People believe Rumspringa should continue the way tradition because it forms men and women and allows them to become part of the Amish religion. What readers should think about first is; do the media and television exaggerate what really happens in a “running around” tradition? Of course, anyone can assume a sheltered teen who has not witnessed modern life and experienced “fun” will go wild. Analysts believe conservative parents teach their child about correct morals and values and yet don’t turn a blind eye. In my opinion, if this was true, the epidemic of Amish teens pushing too far during Rumspringa would not be a debatable topic of discussion. Many authors summarize Rumspringa as a simple rite of passage where Amish teens ride horse and buggies and socialize while an insignificant amount of them party. Again, a National Geographic journalist covers up the dire matter of this issue and only explains Rumspringa as, “Rumspringa is just a token venture: going to the local movie theater, or driving lessons,” Although National Geographic is a trusted source, the question still remains, how come an educated scholar completely left out half of the equation. Time and time again, men and women write about this controversial topic and leave out the questionable and well-known problem. The Amish society is an exceptionally strict society loaded with numerous ceremonies and customs.
Rumspringa is a sacred Amish tradition meant to create 16-year-olds into teens. It continues to be a relevant controversial issue today and must be altered. Although, it can be difficult to choose if Rumspringa should be different in the future, what you must know is because of the 10% of young Amish that don’t return they slander the respected religion and culture’s conservative name. Whether it is blame, ordinariness, or genuine confidence that leads some of these youngsters back to the open arms of the Amish society, they appear to survive and keep up a straightforward society.