As I grow older, it’s become more apparent how different I am from my fellow teenagers. I never really noticed before hand, but compared to them, I appear as if I am boring. While I may not seem to think so, the typical teenager outlook does not apply to me.
When asked about what teenagers are like, you’ll likely hear the response of ‘rebellious’ and ‘wild’ from their elders, or even their parents. On the contrary, when you ask my parents, you’ll likely hear the response of ‘quiet’ and ‘antisocial’. I grew up following the rules, and I never really ‘rebelled against my parents’ (save for one time, but that’s not the point).
Now, you may ask, “Constance, how does being a good daughter make you a ‘boring teenager’?”
Well, reader, I’m not a ‘boring’ teenager, I’m just the outlier in the range of teenagers. I don’t see the appeal in partying and other things the average teenager may participate in. Instead, my idea of fun is browsing the internet and just staying in my room, isolated from the midst of conversations I could potentially be having, had I the urge to leave the safe haven that is my room.
Other people in my grade often find themselves participating in athletics, clubs, or any out of school activities they may enjoy taking part in.
I suppose it may be due to the fact that my school doesn’t offer those types of programs, but regardless, I believe that my main interests would remain to be the same.
Tending to not participate in the activities that other teenagers may engage in, has kept me out of trouble. I find myself less stressed, more available to spend time with the few friends that I have, and more likely to have open discussions with my parents, unlike my friends who do what ‘normal’ teenagers do.
Overall, I am happy with myself. I am not ashamed that I may appear as if I am ‘boring’ to my peers. I think we all believe that we should have to live up to the expectation of what us teenagers are “supposed” to be like, but the truth is, we don’t. It’s okay to be different than the stereotypical teenager, it’s okay to be boring.
