Well, Veronica celebrates a birthday and finally hits 150. She hardly looks a day over 17 to me.

Yes, Archie Comics celebrates 150 issues of Veronica Lodge’s adventures. She has not changed a bit over the years, and she reflects that best when dealing with her friends and pals in Riverdale.

Of course, her best friend is Betty Cooper her co-conspirator in most of her adventures. As well as being her biggest competitor for the affections of Archie Andrews. But, as close as she and Betty are they never allow their romantic attitudes influence their friendship. Or at least not enough to destroy a friendship.

And Ronnie has grown, at least in the ways that count. This year her father offered her a chance to have her birthday anywhere in the world she wanted and was willing to pay for all her friends to be there as well. Including Archie.

So Ronnie thought and thought. She considered a ski vacation, the tropics and other places. Talking it over with her friends, she tossed out ideas and cancelled others. Finally settling on Paris, they all took off on a charted jet.

But Betty could not come. She had agreed to take over Pop’s Chock’lit shop for a few days while he was busy and had to miss the party. Lamenting over this fact she was overjoyed when Ronnie came in the door, with all the gang.

When Betty asked what was going on, she was told “I wanted my best friend at my party, wherever it was.”

This is friendship.

In another story, she tells her dad that she wants a tattoo for her birthday. “Tattoos are the Rage!” she insists over Mr. Lodges protests. When Betty questions her, Ronnie tells her “Every generation has the right to indulge in the fads of its time.”

To prove to her father this statement, she and some friends start watching some old

Videos of her folks having ‘disco fever’. Her father says, “I admit, our crowd comes

off looking pretty ridiculous.”

“But” he adds, “Remember one thing, when our fads and fashions were on longer cool,

we were able to get rid of them. And that’s one thing some members of your generation

won’t be able to do.”

And this is when Ronnie pictures herself in fifty years or so. Not the most attractive

image one can have, I assure you. It would be nice if more teenagers today (not to

mention more adults) would think of that future image. It might save a lot of heartache

later. 

The lessons and ideals that Archie Comics portray and that they convey to kids are

important. It is not always how we look, or what we have that is important, but is instead

who we are, and who we can become.

How loyal we are to our friends, to our family. These are the traits children should be

taught. And if they don’t learn them at home, and can’t learn them in school the only

place left is from books like Archie, Betty, Veronica and the rest of the gang.

Superman teaches about fair play and justice. He tries to teach that being stronger does

not mean you control, or rule others. Sometimes it means you protect those weaker then

you.

Captain America teaches patriotism and loyalty to ones country and friends. Not to the

rulers all the time, but to the tenets a nation is founded on.

These are

Both children and adults should learn important values, and them. I still think you

–can- teach an old dog new tricks.

But it is a lot easier to teach these traits when a kid is younger.

I know I talk about the wholesomeness of Archie Comics and how they should be an influence on kids today. How kids and younger teens can learn from Archie and his friends values that can come in handy later.

The thing is, there isn’t anything wrong with ‘wholesome’. Honest. You don’t need a book that is all B&B or T&A to entertain. Certainly not for kids or even young teens. These kids need some values in their lives. They look around in ‘reality’ and see sports heroes who beat their wives, are arrested for drunk driving, drugs and steroids. They see movie stars who can’t hold a marriage together or a relationship, pop-stars who get married for less then a day and dress in ways that a street hooker would find provocative; they see television shows that promote deception, deceit and outright lying and trickery to advance in life.

They watch movies and TV shows that promote multiple sexual partners with no emotional connection; drug and alcohol abuse and ‘white collar’ crime. And people don’t think this influences kids?

Parents hold a lot of blame. TV and movies, as well as pop-stars and sports stars are out for money. They make their money by showing stuff like this. But it is parents who should have control over what a kid watches. If Mom and Dad don’t care what goes into their child’s head, they should not get upset about what comes out. And that means that if you are not going to raise your kids, someone will.

It probably won’t be whom you want, but someone will do it.

I go on and on about how older teens and adults can still enjoy the stories from Archie Comics because they are ‘nice’. And they are; the kids in Riverdale are the sort of kids most parents would like to have.

Ronnie is a good example of that. Despite being richer than all her friends she still never snubs them. She shares her wealth with them when she can, and never forsakes them. Going to public school, she is one of them.

Veronica Lodge is the sort of kid that parents dream that their children will be friends with. But they won’t have this sort of friend if they can’t be this sort of friend.