Devil's Playground

I learned a lot about Amish people from watching The Devil's Playground that I never knew before. When I thought of Amish, I assumed that they didn't use technology since they considered it "evil" but it appears that they don't use technology in an effort to keep the family close, which is interesting. The kids wear traditional Amish clothing, attend church, and help their parents and neighbors. I was shocked to find out that once they turn 16 they are allowed to run free and do whatever they want including smoking, driving, drinking, partying, and drugs. I think that their view on the "English" world is that everyone just does whatever they want whenever they want which is not the case.

One boy, Faron who is the son of a minister gets involved with crystal meth and becomes addicted to it. I was thinking to myself, "Where are his parents? Why aren't they doing anything about his behavior?" It's because during the "Rumspringa" the parents cannot do anything; all the pressure is on the individual teen. I personally think they are given too much freedom during this period, but I liked the fact that the kids were honest about what they have done during Rumspringa. Like other teens, Amish adolescents must decide which path they want to take except they must make a decision to become a member of the church or not. Once they join the church and decide to leave, they become shunned like Velda. While watching I related to Velda the most and was happy that she chose to take control of her own life and enroll in college. It is sad that her family and friends don't talk to her anymore, but she claims that it's just their way of showing they still love her. Both parents and children go through a lot and deal with the similar problems that non-Amish do. After hearing some of the teens on the documentary say that they can't imagine living an Amish life forever, I was surprised to find out about 80 to 90 percent of teens return back to the Church after their period of Rumspringa to settle down. You can read more here>>> http://www.theocentric.com/personal/reading/rumspringa.html

Posted 29th January by Zeinia Khan