Parents often tell their kids they are spoiled, that they don’t know what it’s like to struggle.
Parents often tell their kids that they have everything handed to them, that they will finally realize and appreciate what they have once they start paying their own bills.
Constantly saying we don’t understand, adults have a habit of putting down problems teenagers face.
But what does it mean to struggle? What does it mean to be spoiled? What constitutes a child being spoiled or impoverished?
Conquering battles, or even having battles to conquer, varies by levels. Some people experience more levels than others, but the truth is, every child, no matter what age, faces some sort of battle.
It all starts when we are little. Our biggest battle could be getting to the new toy first before being forced to share it with your friends, or it could be learning how to tie your shoe. What seem like minuscule battles to us as young adults are all young children have to worry about.
Their lack of experience in the real world hides them from bigger, more brutal battles.
Then, our battles turn into homework when we start grade school. Studying for tests and mastering new material becomes our biggest challenge. At this age we might even start struggling to fit in. Playing with every kid on the playground doesn’t work anymore as cliques start forming as early as the fifth grade.
Junior high hits, and suddenly fashion statements become a top priority for some females. Attractions start forming, and expectations are blown out of proportion for what is expected from both sexes.
Our identity becomes our most confusing, stressful battle. In junior high, some kids might notice their parents finally struggling to put food on the table every night. You are able to stay awake longer and you hear the quiet whispers and sneak around the corner and see your parents hunched over the table with a calculator with worry spread across their faces as the father slowly reaches towards the checkbook and locks eyes with his desperate wife.
Suddenly the struggles become more difficult. The older the age, the more responsibilities are placed on a person.
The point of this article is that every person, no matter what age, has their own personal struggles. We believe that a young kid has nothing to worry about, that teenagers have it so easy. But our struggles are tied to our age, and what we have already experienced. The way we experience life is so unique to each individual. We each have our own battles that other people may not be able to understand.
It’s incredibly important to realize and respect that no matter the age, every person struggles. We each fight our own personal battles. A person’s wealth and socioeconomic status does not define the amount of struggles they have. You are not spoiled for venting about a situation even if you have all the money in the world.What bothers you is just as important as what bothers someone who is homeless. What we own should never influence the hierarchy of whose problems matter more. Every battle is important and should be handled with the same amount of energy, respect, and love.
