Because there is nothing to do

[Tirabi]

And when you say there is nothing to do someone suggests an activity that is fun once a week or a few times a summer like:

Play pool
Climb a hill in Makoshika
Go Fishing

Or things that take money that a lot of families don't have like:

Water Skiing
Horseback Riding
Snowmobiling

Very limited choices.

And probably worst of all is the limited career opportunities.  It wasn't until I moved away to college that I even knew you could get a degree for a job like airline pilot.

[energy_savior]

What do you mean? There's plenty to do. There's Budweiser, Coors, Miller, don't forget the lights and then there is Jack, Sailor Jerry, Captain, and I could go on forever.....we can discuss what a problem drinking (and underage drinking) is but the sad truth is for me personally, I grew up drinking young and drinking a lot and I got in a little trouble there, but not too much. When I think back on those days I think I would have a worse view if I had not been drinking because honestly - I had a blast growing up in Glendive. I partied a lot and I turned out alright making plenty of mistakes along the way! I wouldn't change anything about the way I grew up in Glendive (unless I could decrease the quantity of drama in high school girls) because I always have stories to tell from those days.

[Tirabi]

Wow, I'm sure hoping that was a sarcastic reply.  Drinking is not the answer to boredom.  I did my share in HS and after too, but I would rather have had real fun than nurture a disease.

I had too many classmates killed drunk driving to embrace that philosophy.

[energy_savior]

Yes. Most of that was sarcastic. But it was also aimed at hypocrits who seem baffled at the problem that was the same problem when they were doing it themselves.

But, I was serious about not changing anything. I did have real fun.

Just curious but how many are you talking about?

[Clicker]

I had a great opportunity to observe three kids (all cousins to each other) talking at a wedding reception in Great Falls a few years ago.  One from Miles City, One from Great Falls, One from Minneapolis.  Each was complaining that there's nothing to do at their home towns but "hang".  I thought, well at least when I was their age we dragged Merrill and were moving! I honestly don't recall being a teenager complaining there's nothing to do.  We didn't need somewhere big like a mall to "hang". We dreamed up our own fun.  After visiting city kids in their own environment, being somewhere big isn't the answer to having something to do either. There seems to be a cultural shift away from creatively entertaining ourselves.    I wonder what, where, when and how "having something do" is in the utopic place that isn't one's home town.

[energy_savior]

Also, with todays kids finding something worthwhile to do would involve abandonding precicious xboxes and PS3's!

[Tirabi]

Very true.  Actually with the advent of the internet and xbox and PS3 etc there is more to do today as a kid than we had.

I had 3 classmates die while in HS in 2 separate accidents.

Sure, I did my share of partying, but I honest to god had no idea you could have fun as a teen doing anything else until I moved away and cleaned up my life.

And it's true that it's a matter of perspective.  We have pretty much ANYTHING you want within 80-90 miles of us since Chicago is 85 miles away and yet we live in a fairly rural type area for SW Michigan. One of the best beaches in the US just minutes away, etc.  Yet I still talk to teens who say they want to move away. After they hear me describe our area they change their minds.   People will always find the grass greener somewhere else.

As for us, we fell in love with this place and will never leave.  The only thing I miss is riding my dirt bike from Pine Unit all the way to the airport.  Heck you could ride for 100's of miles on a dirt bike and never cross your path. 

If I win the lotto I'll buy a cabin up by lewistown, other than that I'm a Michigander now.