Becoming a Teen

Aah the teenager. Age 13 to 19. A mom's worst enemy and a kid's child goal. Teenagers are amazing; they transform, change and inspire. They not only change physically, but they change into PEOPLE, a mental change. Teenagers have a mind that no parent can decipher and they have the energy of a cheetah on the run. But what makes teenagers the way they are? Who knows. I'm sure studies have been written but this post will display my personal analysis on why our type is just so crazy! (that can be a good or bad thing :))

So, I'm a teenager, age 13 to be exact, so it's probably justified that some of the observations I make are at least somewhat accurate. The changes a teenager goes through are bad and good, just as any change is. I have done some research on this topic, but my knowledge is limited. Let's see if I can make something of it!

The first change in a teenager is quite obvious. I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-A-N-C-E. Teens want Independence. They want Independence from their families, and in their responsibilities. Teens take on more challenges and try to overcome more problems on their own rather than when they were a child. They learn to let go of mommy's hand and cross the road by themselves, and they continue to be this way. Just like any other change, this change has its good things and its bad things. It's excellent to be independent and to acquire skills of leadership, but it is important not to become a person of arrogance and to maintain that humbleness you had as a child.

More and more, teens begin to question their parents knowledge. There is a cycle that goes from Mom knows best,to Mom knows a lot, to Mom knows some, to Mom knows none. This yearn for Independence in a lot of cases turns into a mistrust in many parent-teen relationships. On the contrary, this change is important in everyday life. As teenagers, we develop a sense of individuality, and become better at making our own decisions. There must be some mental change at this time because we begin to shape our future by ourselves,with no one else molding it for us. We learn responsibility, which is displayed at home, such as in Babysitting. We learn about the powers of money and the power we have in our families. This yearn for independence is good as long as it is not taking too seriously as to damage any relationship within the family.

There have been two distinct social issues I have noticed as part of becoming a teenager. Teenagers have a strong desire to look good, and be praised for it. They want to express themselves through what they wear, and how they act. They are worried about not developing normally (e.g. weight, height etc.) and they want that brand of clothing to wear.

Teenagers also aspire to be part of a group, to belong somewhere, to have their own identity. They no longer want to be known as their father's son or their mother's daughter. Many teens join dance classes, clubs and groups for this reason. Social status is very important in a teenager's life. This is also good and bad. Good, because it is important to look after yourself and maintain a healthy reputation, but bad because it can sometimes become too much of a priority in life. I'd like to quote an inspirational speaker who came to my school, Andrew Tibidabo, who said that we should "bring back the kindergarten spirit!" This is absolutely correct. In kindergarten, we didn't care about what we wore or if we fell down in gym class. Then BOOM here come teen years and suddenly you're embarrassed because you didn't return the ball in that volleyball game! Bring back the kindergarten spirit, and work on becoming YOURSELF and not what other people want you to be.

Becoming a teen is great. You get all these new privileges, mom and dad don't treat you like a kid anymore, and you have the best times in high school. Yet you still have to be home by 10. Well, that's what I meant by not thinking TOO much about the Independence thing. You're parents can still enforce rules on you, ya know? I, myself, am an observer. I observe the way people act around other people, and their reactions. Teens are a great example of my observations. The good things: We learn to go on new adventures, we find out who we are, we acquire important skills for the future. The bad things: sometimes we give too much importance to material things, or take life for granted. We also sometimes abuse the rights that are freshly given to us.

So there you have it, what I think of the transformation from child to teen. Now, every teen varies, I can't exactly predict how you are can I? No, but I can justify that my consensus to all these observations are that Teens are amazing creatures. Just after kids, just before adulthood. It's the time to be free, to learn and to try and not to make too many life-destroying mistakes. Hey, and as some famous guy- who I can't quite remember- once said, it's all about the journey!