On October 4th, my younger sister turned 14-years-old. Although she was technically a teenager last year, 14 seems like the crossing of the threshold into teenager-hood. She’s in high school now, and soon she’ll be dating and going to prom and moving into her first college dorm room. When I was 14, I took for granted all of the wonderful aspects of being a new teenager, and I don’t want my sister to make the same mistake. Here are some of the best parts about being 14.
1. Being the perfect size
I was at my favorite height and weight when I was 14-years-old. I was thinner and more athletic at that time and I had so much energy. Over the years, through stress and the loss of time, I have gained some weight and become less athletic. I wish that I had appreciated how I felt about my body more when I was younger.
2. Being able to eat whatever you want
Under the same train of thought, along with never gaining weight, I could also eat anything that I’ve ever wanted. I could down an entire bag of chips, a burrito, three hamburgers, and a large Coke in one sitting without gaining anything or even having acid reflux. Now, if I eat Hot Flaming Cheetos before bed I’m up all night with heart burn!
3. Not worrying about dating
This honestly depends on the person, but when I was 14 the thought of dating or having a boyfriend/girlfriend never even crossed my mind. I was too busy making sure I passed my history coarse and made it to gymnastics practice on time. By the time you’re 16 all of your friends are in relationships and you begin to feel a bit left out.
4. Having care-free friendships
Friends don’t backstab you or do terrible things when they are 14. The worst thing a friend can do is choose someone else to be her lab partner in Biology class, but she won’t sleep with your boyfriend or spread vicious rumors about you around school. Being able to trust practically everyone in your life is a blessing.
5. Being able to still be a kid
14-year-olds are in that weird stage of life where they aren’t quite children, but not quite teenagers either. Sometimes this can appear frustrating, but it’s also kind of wonderful too. 14-year-olds can get away with doing “kid things” like building forts and having pajama parties. When you grow up, sometimes that can be frowned upon.
6. Trying new things
Being 14 is kind of like having a trial run at life. This is the first time you can enact some sense of independence and choose activities that you want to participate in, but if you end up not liking them you haven’t invested too much time into them. I remember wanting to join everything at school until I finally settled on a club or two as I grew older, but that period of discovery is so exciting.
7. Not going to work
People don’t normally expect a 14-year-old to have a job, although it kind of depends on your economic situation. For most, 16 is when you’re supposed to start looking for part-time work, so 14-years-old is the only age where you can start being a teenager without the real responsibilities of being a teenager.
8. Your grades don’t really matter yet
Although you’re in high school now and you shouldn’t just flunk all your classes, getting a C or even a D in your freshman year of high school doesn’t really matter. Most colleges look at your junior and senior years the closest, so having a bad class won’t break you and takes some of the pressure off.
9. Getting a bit more respect
Now that you’ve officially been initiated into the “teenager club”, you’ll probably gain a few more privileges. Maybe an extended curfew, or the ability to wear some mascara on your eyelashes, whatever it is, your parents will allow you to grow up just a little bit.
10. No responsibilities
Honestly, this is the best one out of this list. You’re being treated like more of an adult without ANY of the responsibilities of being an adult like bills or having children.
