Tuesday evening, July 11, 2006
Midwest Trip, Columbus, Ohio (Day 1)

You can't get much more American than Columbus. Located in the dead-center of Ohio, Columbus is the state capital. Population: 730,000. It's home to the banana split and the nation's oldest Harley-Davidson dealership.

Last night, we interviewed young people at a shopping, eating and entertainment complex called Easton Town Center, located in the northeast quadrant of the city. We found teenagers, young adults, senior citizens, tots in strollers and every age in between.

Brick facades, costumed ice cream vendors and a sidewalk water fountain -- Easton looks like a perfectly laid out town from the 1950s, except with a Crate and Barrel, a J. Crew and a Cheesecake Factory, which give this giant suburban mall its unmistakable, anywhere-in-America aura.

As of the 2000 census, about one-third of the households in Columbus comprised "traditional" families -- meaning a married man and woman with or without children. Interestingly, this is down from the 1990 census. About 15 percent of households here are headed by a female -- meaning, usually, a single mother.

During our interviews in Easton (as well as in a less affluent area of town that we later visited), we found that a large number of 16 to 25 year olds are close to their parents, no matter if they are being raised by a single mom or by a mother and father. These young adults say that their parents are huge factors in their lives, a trait that is particular to this generation, say Neil Howe and William Strauss Howe, authors of the book, "Millennials Risings."

Mallory Zelinski, who turned 18 the day we met her, and who's headed to Columbus State Community College this fall to begin to study nursing, told me that her mother is her best friend, and that her parents have unfailingly led her to believe she can do whatever she sets her mind to do. Tossing her blond hair, Mallory sat with two friends before dinner and described how her parents want her to have the advantages that their generation didn't enjoy.

One of those friends, Ben Slavens, also 18, will soon start studying filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts. His father, a businessman, wants him to be prepared for whatever life may bring; he supports his son's desire to make movies and documentaries. Ben said that his father urged him to follow his passion, and that in turn gave him the confidence to plan to study out of state -- in a notoriously uncertain career field.

Another of Mallory's friends, Victoria McComas, was the one exception.

She said her mother -- who raised Victoria alone -- is more fearful of what will happen to her, and not confident she'll be able to excel in a career. Victoria said that makes her all the more determined to pursue her dream of getting a college degree and becoming a nurse.

"I want to help people, and this is how I can best do that," she said.

During a separate interview at Easton, two brothers, Ben and Brad Szerlip, offered a different perspective about single mothers.

Their single mother, who they practically described as a saint, raised the two sons -- along with two other brothers. Ben and Brady said that she works full time in order to put the boys through college. Ben is 24 and goes to medical school at Ohio University. Brad is 18 and is set to enter Wittenberg University in the fall. They said their mother has instilled values in them that they will keep forever.

Said Brad: "The ideal is a mother and a father."

-- Judy Woodruff