Ah, teenage-dom. As a second-semester college freshman, I have about 4 months of being a teenager left. These last 10 years have been some of the most challenging, most formative years of my life. Like many of my peers, I have felt the stigma of being a "darn teenager."
It doesn't bother me to be reprimanded when I screw up; it does bother me when I get reprimanded for messing up as a teenager. It's usually all fun and games. As a teenager who doesn't necessarily partake in the usual activities many people my age do, this isn't an issue all the time for me. But, when it is, it's quite ridiculous.
In high school, I was an honors student. I played four years of varsity sports, never had a drop of alcohol, and didn't even go on a date until I was 17. Still, when I went to the office to talk to the secretary I found that she treated me with the same attitude she treated every student. It was as if I was sub-human. In high school, adults aren't willing to help you (generally, some teachers rock.) They are willing to assume that every kid is up to no good and only in it for themselves,
It's because of this that I walked into college not believing that my professors would want to help me. It took me two semesters of college to realize 1) I'm going to be treated with the respect level that adults receive 2) Being treated like an adult (in some respects) is amazing.
My professors want to help me get internships or jobs, write me recommendation letters, and make sure that I'm getting the most possible out of my education. I have never felt the love and support that I've felt in college, and it's honestly just glorious.
The other people who really should know better are our parents. Obviously, at one point they were teenagers themselves, but they also know us better than the majority of other people on the Earth. It is for these reasons I don't understand why parents act like they just don't get what it's like to be a teenager. Do they not remember what it felt like to be 15? Or 19?
Life can be hard, no matter what age you are. Also, no matter how old you get, there are going to be good people and bad people. There are going to be people who are deceitful and smarmy and people who are upfront and trustworthy. These rules apply to teenagers, too.
We're just people, and as my teenage years come to an end, I urge adults to remember this. Teenagers need your love and your support. They need your acceptance. They don't need you to let them off easy or skimp out on discipline when it's deserved. They just need to be treated like actual human beings.
