Personal Essay
I’m seventeen, and I’m a teenager.
I wonder what comes to mind when anyone hears “teenager”. It seems to me that the most universal and stereotypical things that people think of are that we’re emotional, rebellious, inexperienced. We don’t know what love is, and can’t begin to know until we’re older. We’re careless; negligent; irresponsible lesser-not-quite-adults. We’re self-absorbing sponges; it’s all about us. We’re ruthless and reckless; irrational, and take unnecessary risks. We will always give into peer pressure, and “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?” We think that because we’re closer to becoming an adult that we deserve everything that comes with that and that we are the kings and queens of the household.
Well yes, we are everything the rest of the world says we are. But you forget that we too are human beings. We’re the used-to-bes of every mother, father, grandfather and grandmother, aunt and uncle. They must understand where every thought and demand must come from, they were us at one time. Tell me; oh tell me, I implore you, to tell me of one adult who didn’t act the way we do. Who didn’t think the things we do.
But all those things don’t, and can’t begin to sum up everything that we, as the teenage nation, are. We’re so much more. We have dreams; aspirations; goals; hopes. We’re strong when we stand together. Yeah we give in to peer pressure, but you know, not all of its bad. We encourage each other and cheer each other on. We help each other and give advice; a listening ear; a shoulder to cry on. We comfort. We love. Who dares to say that teenagers can’t know what love is? That we can’t find true love at first sight? There’s plenty of people who end up marrying their high school sweetheart. Heck, there’s even people who marry their best friend, whom they’ve known since they were born! As we continue to grow up, we realize the different qualities we want in that special someone, and what we don’t want. Learning from our mistakes, but not just our own, but also through the mistakes of others. “Wise men learn from experience, super-wise people learn from others’ experience.”
“You’ll understand when you’re older.” Adults still seem to tell us this phrase, seeming to think that they can pacify their questioning teenager for just a little longer. Well you know what? So much weighs on us when we “get older.” College, job, marriage, taxes, raising a family. Don’t you think we know this?
Maybe the reason some of us slack; mosey around so much, is because we’re not ready to accept our inevitable and impending fate. On the subject of growing up, it appears to divide teens into three groups: those who see all the legalized things they can do and don’t take education seriously; those who, (like me) constantly lament about the future, but at the same time are really excited, and are somewhat engaged in their education; and those who early on, make their goals set in stone, they know what they want to do and where they want to go, they achieve those higher grades, take those higher classes, they have jobs, have their licenses and can drive.
The first group is more or less summed up in these next sentences. -- Growing up seems to be portrayed as inescapable doomsday. You’re not allowed to have fun. You’re not allowed to go to parties, to eat lunch with your friends. You’re not allowed to have enough time to go hiking in the woods on the weekend, because dang it you should be studying for that test in Calculus 101. Some are so focused on what they will be allowed to do- it’s just all about the parties, the booze, legalized drugs, gambling. Who needs a wife when you could just go hit up some girl at the bar? Hey, let’s have a Harry Potter movie marathon the night before a big test?
Then comes the in-betweens- the second group; my group. We’re caught between the first and third crowd like some kind of awkward hybrid. These are the people, who based on my own experience, are kind of engaged in their education, they’re involved in sports and activities, they’re having fun being who they are, and they are excited about the future, but aren’t quite ready to accept it. We wish to grow up and go to achieve our dreams but feel like when we finally accept the truth, we’ll lose the most important part of ourselves.
Finally, there’s the third group- the smarty-pants; the overachievers. These are the people that everyone wishes they could be, or aspire to be like. Thirds set their goals and keep to them, considering all choices and decisions, while making any adjustments with logic and their future in mind. They study before every test, and study for AP tests and ACTs and SATs months ahead. They read the books assigned for class, they turn in assignments and probably don’t do them last minute. Thirds are involved in clubs and outside activities.
And because they have taken control of their life and where they’re going, sometimes they are chastised and made fun of by members of the other two groups, mainly the first, because the prosecutor feels insecure and incompetent compared to this third group.
After having explained the attributes of each crowd, don’t the people within those societies seem human? Don’t each and every single one of those teens remind adults of what they used to be like? Whether we like it or not, we teens will end up being, in some ways or other, reflections of our parents.
Therefore, if we teens reflect our parents of what they used to be like, why do we receive a lot of crap for the way we act and the decisions we make? Why do we not get to have a say in our education, politics, the way we live, and everything else concerning the world and us? Why do we not get to harbor our own opinions, and have our own say in things?
I understand that teenagers are stereotypically viewed as immature, reckless, and impulsive.
But there’s so much more to us than the eye can see.
I’m seventeen, and I’m a teenager.
I wonder what comes to mind when anyone hears “teenager”. It seems to me that the most universal and stereotypical things that people think of are that we’re emotional, rebellious, inexperienced. We don’t know what love is, and can’t begin to know until we’re older. We’re careless; negligent; irresponsible lesser-not-quite-adults. We’re self-absorbing sponges; it’s all about us. We’re ruthless and reckless; irrational, and take unnecessary risks. We will always give into peer pressure, and “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?” We think that because we’re closer to becoming an adult that we deserve everything that comes with that and that we are the kings and queens of the household.
Well yes, we are everything the rest of the world says we are. But you forget that we too are human beings. We’re the used-to-bes of every mother, father, grandfather and grandmother, aunt and uncle. They must understand where every thought and demand must come from, they were us at one time. Tell me; oh tell me, I implore you, to tell me of one adult who didn’t act the way we do. Who didn’t think the things we do.
But all those things don’t, and can’t begin to sum up everything that we, as the teenage nation, are. We’re so much more. We have dreams; aspirations; goals; hopes. We’re strong when we stand together. Yeah we give in to peer pressure, but you know, not all of its bad. We encourage each other and cheer each other on. We help each other and give advice; a listening ear; a shoulder to cry on. We comfort. We love. Who dares to say that teenagers can’t know what love is? That we can’t find true love at first sight? There’s plenty of people who end up marrying their high school sweetheart. Heck, there’s even people who marry their best friend, whom they’ve known since they were born! As we continue to grow up, we realize the different qualities we want in that special someone, and what we don’t want. Learning from our mistakes, but not just our own, but also through the mistakes of others. “Wise men learn from experience, super-wise people learn from others’ experience.”
“You’ll understand when you’re older.” Adults still seem to tell us this phrase, seeming to think that they can pacify their questioning teenager for just a little longer. Well you know what? So much weighs on us when we “get older.” College, job, marriage, taxes, raising a family. Don’t you think we know this?
Maybe the reason some of us slack; mosey around so much, is because we’re not ready to accept our inevitable and impending fate. On the subject of growing up, it appears to divide teens into three groups: those who see all the legalized things they can do and don’t take education seriously; those who, (like me) constantly lament about the future, but at the same time are really excited, and are somewhat engaged in their education; and those who early on, make their goals set in stone, they know what they want to do and where they want to go, they achieve those higher grades, take those higher classes, they have jobs, have their licenses and can drive.
The first group is more or less summed up in these next sentences. -- Growing up seems to be portrayed as inescapable doomsday. You’re not allowed to have fun. You’re not allowed to go to parties, to eat lunch with your friends. You’re not allowed to have enough time to go hiking in the woods on the weekend, because dang it you should be studying for that test in Calculus 101. Some are so focused on what they will be allowed to do- it’s just all about the parties, the booze, legalized drugs, gambling. Who needs a wife when you could just go hit up some girl at the bar? Hey, let’s have a Harry Potter movie marathon the night before a big test?
Then comes the in-betweens- the second group; my group. We’re caught between the first and third crowd like some kind of awkward hybrid. These are the people, who based on my own experience, are kind of engaged in their education, they’re involved in sports and activities, they’re having fun being who they are, and they are excited about the future, but aren’t quite ready to accept it. We wish to grow up and go to achieve our dreams but feel like when we finally accept the truth, we’ll lose the most important part of ourselves.
Finally, there’s the third group- the smarty-pants; the overachievers. These are the people that everyone wishes they could be, or aspire to be like. Thirds set their goals and keep to them, considering all choices and decisions, while making any adjustments with logic and their future in mind. They study before every test, and study for AP tests and ACTs and SATs months ahead. They read the books assigned for class, they turn in assignments and probably don’t do them last minute. Thirds are involved in clubs and outside activities.
And because they have taken control of their life and where they’re going, sometimes they are chastised and made fun of by members of the other two groups, mainly the first, because the prosecutor feels insecure and incompetent compared to this third group.
After having explained the attributes of each crowd, don’t the people within those societies seem human? Don’t each and every single one of those teens remind adults of what they used to be like? Whether we like it or not, we teens will end up being, in some ways or other, reflections of our parents.
Therefore, if we teens reflect our parents of what they used to be like, why do we receive a lot of crap for the way we act and the decisions we make? Why do we not get to have a say in our education, politics, the way we live, and everything else concerning the world and us? Why do we not get to harbor our own opinions, and have our own say in things?
I understand that teenagers are stereotypically viewed as immature, reckless, and impulsive.
But there’s so much more to us than the eye can see.