Being a teenager is probably, in my opinion, one of the most difficult parts of the natural human life. Even though every adult has been through this stage, it still seems that not many adults understand how arduous it is to be a teen. There are many disparate confrontations that take place into our journey into maturity, but the pressure is at its highest during these points of our life. Here are just some of the reasons why being a teenager isn't always pleasant.

It's not just family expectations we have to live up to, it's social expectations. There is a social ladder that we are put on as a teenager. It's based on how you dress, how smart you are, who your friends are, have you been in a relationship, are you a goody-two-shoes, how many followers you have on Instagram, how much makeup you wear, do you have the latest Adidas clothing wear, how many likes you get on social media and I could go on for ages. For most adults, they would think of the items listed as laughable, senseless and trivial. But for a teenager, it means the world to them. As I mentioned before, there is a social ladder that not many people realize teenagers have. They have heard about the previous list (about likes, friends, looks, clothes, tech) many times, but people don't realize it all adds up to where you are placed on the social ladder. We aren't being brats when we ask for new clothes or when we don't want to wear that ugly sweater our aunt got us for our birthday (okay, maybe sometimes we can be brats), but at the end of the day, it's all about maintaining our status on the social ladder. Why?

To avoid bullying. That caught your attention now, didn't it? It's this whole social ladder that leads to bullying. Preying on people weaker than you. Especially during the teenage years when folks are already pressured and constrained upon by society. So to make themselves feel better, teenagers prey on other teenagers to make themselves feel exceptional. It's quite unfortunate, really. Even as a person who is conscious of the existence of this social pyramid, I am also bound by the ropes of this social ladder. We just want to "fit in." Whatever the latest trend is, we want to be part of it, because we don't want to seem like a "loser." It's crazy, I know, but now adults can somewhat understand why being a teenager is SOCIALLY equivalent to the difficulty of rocket science and quantum mechanics... combined. Yikes.

I know I speak for every teenager when I say that just thinking about my future gives me a panic attack. I have heard it from everyone I know. Whenever we think about the future, we want to break down, get into bed and just drown in our tears. It's that stressful. Staying up late to do schoolwork, waking up early, keeping up the grades, being on the lookout for colleges and just thinking about your future job field—it's scary. Not to mention we need to have internships, participate in clubs and volunteer outside of our school time to have a winning resume. When in the world do we have the time? We make time. We make time for school and for extra-curricular activities. We make time to hang out with friends and family. Time is very precious as a teenager. Every day, there are tests, quizzes, projects and other assignments due in class. There is no time to breathe, eat or sometimes even sleep. That is why so many teenagers love food and sleep. Adults think it's just an abnormal thing that all teens have in common: food and sleep. It is, but for good reason too.

Because of almost all the reasons above, we tend to stay reserved around adults. We know that adults judge us. Anything and everything we do is always criticized. Don't get us wrong, we love having help. That is, if we were kids. But we're not. We're maturing, and we want to be able to do things on our own. We're not being stubborn, hard-headed or disrespectful. We are trying to be our own person. We can't rely on adults forever, because one day soon, we are going to be adults. Sometimes, adults tell us that if something is wrong, we can always go to them. But the truth is, we can't. Because believe it or not, we know what you are going to advise us on; it's just not the answer to our problem. That's why a lot of times, teenagers value their friends more than they value their parents. Because we think our friends know what they are talking about. Mainly because they're the same age as us, and they better comprehend what we are going through. Plus, adults even expect us to act like grownups, but how can we act like grownups when they don't give us the freedom to become one? So grownups shouldn't feel offended when teenagers stay reserved around them.

And these are just some of the reasons why being a teenager isn't easy. We are exploring the real world, testing our freedom, making tons of mistakes and learning from them. We are preparing for the future. Not just for our own future, but our generation's future. Yet, like I said, the pressure is on. From family, from friends, from society and from ourselves. We expect so much from ourselves. We want to make our friends and family proud, but it's really stressful.

So the next time you see a teenager at the grocery store or at the movies, please don't think of them as a disrespectful, annoying mess who can't do anything. We get it, raising or dealing with a teen isn't easy, but that goes for both sides of the spectrum. Think back to this and realize that we go through a lot more than we put on. Sometimes our stress output may not be in the right way, but it's not like we aren't trying. We just need to figure most things out for ourselves. We know grownups and parents try to make our lives easier, but that's not how life is. It's going to be filled with challenges that we will fail to succeed with. But you know what? That's okay. Because being a teenager isn't the easiest thing on earth, but it's the best thing on earth. As a teenager, we find ourselves as a person, we find our friends, we find our talents and gifts. We find us. This transition period may be confusing to a lot of adults, and it's even more difficult for a teenager, but at the same time, it's worth it. Being a teenager is worth it. Just know one thing—we aren't ALL a bunch of "messes" who have no future.