There are many circumstances and state of affairs children are facing in today's world. These situations are not only viewed on television, read about in magazines, or heard of on the news; they can be found here in Missouri, no matter the county or location. Some examples include violent deaths at a young age, children living in poverty, high school dropouts, and children growing up in single parent households. Not only are these conditions very serious, the numbers and percentages continue to fluctuate. By examining the statistics and figures on my primary county, Cole, and my secondary county, Boone, I came to the realization that these problems are closer to home than I originally thought. After comparing the information of both counties to the entire state of Missouri, it is evident that Mid-Missouri has a fair share of adolescent problems.
             After living in Cole County for over 11 years, I found the statistics representing my hometown to be surprising. I assumed since my adolescence was innocent and praiseworthy, all children's adolescence experience was similar to mine. Needless to say, I was wrong. Cole County seemed to have a high rate of violent deaths among teenagers between the ages of 15-19 years old. This is ironic when comparing Cole County to Boone County because I figured since Boone County is larger and has a higher population of children, it would have a higher rate of violent deaths. I also found it ironic that I never hear much news or reports of violent deaths of children except on rare occasions. Cole County statistics of births to teenagers (15-19 years old) ranked higher than Boone County. The rating may be a result of the number of females who attend college in Columbia where there are more choices and availability rather than in Jefferson City. Although there are many problems and is!
             sues associated with Cole County, more social situations are localized in Boone County.
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