Editor
WHAT is the first thing that comes to mind when you see the word ‘teenagers’? ‘Rebellious’, ‘disobedient’ or ‘misunderstood’? The first thing I think of is something between horror, confusion, and ‘Oh well’. Being a teen myself, I’d like to enlighten you on how pressuring this in-between phase actually is.
First of all, I’d like to point out that ‘High School Musical’ set impossibly high expectations and is an extremely false representation of what ‘big school’ is like. I would have really appreciated it if someone had told me sooner that classes don’t break out into song and perfectly choreographed dance routines when the bell rings, and that boys don’t drive across the country in wrecked cars to ask you to prom.
Secondly, I want to mention – just in case you thought otherwise – that not all teenagers are rebellious ‘punks’ who deliberately disobey their parents; yes, a lot of the time we disagree with our elders, but that’s because there is a 20 to 30 year age gap, and to think that two people from completely different generations would share the same opinions is just insane.
This is where it all starts to fall apart. The parents of today’s teens grew up in very different conditions – no selfies, no Instagram, no Tumblr (truly dark times), but just as they enjoyed their novelties such as disco, Sting and hairspray, we should be able to unashamedly enjoy sending Snapchats, uploading pictures of coffee dates with friends and gathering around an iPhone to watch YouTube videos, without being called antisocial or accused of wasting our lives.
This short preview into the mind of an average teenage girl, along with the sky-rocketing teen depression rates, should be enough reason to take a better and more understanding look at our world before comparing it to what yours used to be like; because, believe it or not, things have changed.
Jordan Close
Mt Edgecombe
