Talk about a change of lifestyle. When Amish kids turn 16 they are released from the rules of their church to basically “run around.” The Amish faith believes that children raised Amish shouldn’t have to decide if they want to be baptized Amish until they’ve gone through this rite of passage, which may last months or years.

The problem evident in this documentary is that these kids go from one extreme to the other and many don’t know how to handle it. One kid becomes a meth head and drug dealer. Many others just change their images (men more than women), get a car and party till they puke. It’s hard for them not to considering many of the parties they attend are held on their parents’ properties (with parents present), where they host up to 1,500 Amish kids from all over the country—all just looking to get loaded.

Many years ago rumspringa may not have had the same impact… in the 21st century it’s a different story. Surprisingly still the Amish have a 90% retention rate. Many of these kids do become baptized even after going through hell to get there.