yeah, i am a teenager, and the whole stereotypical picture we all get in our heads when we hear that word is something like....drugs, sex, sneaking out, always texting and on the phone, not having a good relationship with your parents...and so forth. i am glad to say that i have not experienced any of those things. except the whole texting thing and the parents thing.
there was once a time when i despised my parents. we've all been there. i am proud to say that me and my parents are really close. but i've had tons of friends that would say the opposite. considering the fact that a lot of teenagers parents let them do whatever they want because they seem to not care, or don't have the energy to care, those kids got into things they definitely shouldnt have. i look back on those times when i wanted desperately to go places with those kids without parental supervision, and understand how smart my mom was. she saved my butt. and i'm sure she'll be doing a lot more of that in the future too.
the thing is, then, i could see, but not with as much clarity as i can now. not literally but somehow, when i've been made aware, or even when i havent, of someone's situation, i can oftentimes see very in depth from their point of view. my mom tells me it's a gift from God, which i'm sure it is. he's given my mother incredible insight. something very hard to describe, otherwise i would, but i believe she's right. although it can be painful at times, it helps me to understand people.
i had a lot of friends with terrible home lives. they always acted as though it was no big deal, when i could tell from the way they acted and the way they dressed that they were insecure. that they just wanted someone to care about them. not to be put down by their so-called friends. not to be shunned by people.
my 7th grade English teacher was the best. and my classmates made it even more fun. never a boring day in that classroom. what i remember most about that teacher, is that she cared. she cared about what those kids were getting themselves into. she cared about their feelings. if something was wrong, she would ask you. not in front of everyone. and if you didn't want to talk about it, she respected that but let you know she was there all the same.
there were posters all over her walls, but i only remember one. it was something about the fact that you were fighting your own battle, but no matter how hard it was at the moment, you have no right to take it out on anyone else, cause they're fighting a battle to.
that poster was right, is right. we are all fighting battles. you, me, and everyone else.
someone loses everyday.
but you can prevent that.
i know i sound like a commercial, but it's true. i've known kids that have tried to take their own lives. and kids that have. some because they don't fit in. some because theyre picked on every day. some because they feel that no one cares and that no one will listen to them.
parents, i feel, have a roll to play in this. its not they're fault, unless they havnt cared about their kid, but anyway.....when i go to my parents and am feeling alone. i'm not looking for them to get mad and tell me i'm not. i just want them to stand there and listen. let me get everything out. even if i don't mean all of it.
they think they are. and i know they're trying. but they don't. they always fight back. i'm not even trying to fight! i just want someone to listen. so i don't have to hold everything in.
so parents: just listen. if your kid is mad, sad, frustrated. just sit there and let them get everything out, and know that if they say something crazy or really, really mean. they won't mean it in the future.
and kids: be patient with your parents. they're learning(;
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