“You’re too young to take on so much!”

“Give yourself a break!”

“You should be partying instead of working all of the time!"

“You’re working your teenage years away!”

These are all things that I have heard as I grew up. From a young age, I was always involved with something. Whether it be a school club, sport, or job, I was always out of the house and keeping myself busy. Now, there’s nothing wrong with keeping yourself busy, however, onlookers seem to think that being a teenager means that taking on an abundance of responsibilities is taboo and unneeded.

There was a point this past summer where I was balancing two jobs, online school and being an editor. My time was booked and my weekends were spent working, but I have come out of it as a better person. Taking on multiple responsibilities at a young age, I believe, helped me mature and learn how to create and accomplish personal goals for myself.

I was once told that I’m ‘working my teenage years away’ and should be ‘spending my time partying.’ Is partying fun? Sure. But having a steady paycheck, multiple opportunities at your feet and a schedule filled with only beneficiary responsibilities is better. Just because I take on so much does not mean that I don’t have time to hangout with friends and do other leisure activities that I love to do. It’s all about balancing everything out.

Taking on multiple responsibilities has taught me how to manage my time and create a scheduled routine that works well for me. I’m confident that when I get older, I’ll be able to apply these lessons learned to my life then.

So yes, I may spend 95% of my time working and managing all of my responsibilities, but I’d much rather be busy than doing nothing. The busy life works for only some people, however I’m grateful that I’m able to adjust to it and use it as a stepping stone into adulthood. It is entirely possible to enjoy your teenage years while slowly easing into the many responsibilities of adulthood.