 Vishmi Wijeratne
The sweetest and the harshest years of one’s life are his/her teen
years. I as a teenager am experiencing a little bit of both.
We as teenagers: feel that no one really understands us, actually no
one does and that’s why our age is considered as the most critical
period of our lives.
Teenagers usually face a lot of problems due to their way of
thinking, we think differently; and it’s far more different than the way
our parents think, this causes an immense controversy between teens and
parents.
 We as teens think that we need freedom. Especially teenage girls! But
parents think freedom might be the pathway for self destruction. You
know what, they are probably right, and we know what they say is
probably what’s best; but how could we know for sure? That’s why we need
to experience freedom; to know what it is; to protect ourselves from the
harshness of society (parents won’t be there forever!). We need to make
mistakes and learn from them (that is how life works!).
You might now ask me what parents are for: they should be there to
guide us through these hard years; to warn against what is wrong not ban
it; to give us a hand when we fall down not push us back!
Communication: another topic that raises a cloud of conflict between
teens and parents. It is obvious that most parents don’t understand the
modern modes of communication.
They think texting is a waste of money but calling costs more. They
say a call per week to your best friend is enough: “What do you have to
talk so much about? You meet her at school!” but only we know that it is
not enough, parents don’t often understand that there are certain things
about which we can’t confide in them.
They think chatting is bad and getting to know people of the opposite
sex is worse! But in this modern enclosed world how can we get to know
people with the least amount of risk? Of course everything has its bane
and boon but if you know your limits I don’t see any harm!
Parents often think that fellow teenagers who had done “not-so-great”
in their lives are a bad influence on their children of similar age.
This maybe so but if we back away from them how will they get the
strength to recover from their fall?
And if we make the same mistake who will be there for us? Parents
can’t always give the strength we need (but unfortunately they think so)
we have got to help each other; that is the only way we can get through
this period successfully.
Teens seek privacy a word most parents don’t understand, privacy is
sometimes the main conflict between parents and teens.
We need our own private space to think, but most parents think that
they should crowd that space.
As teenagers we are lost within ourselves, we don’t really know who
we are or what we ought to do.
This period is mainly about finding ourselves. And I think it would
help a great deal if parents for once stayed away and watched how we
achieved, and stretch their hands out to help us when choices are hard.
Most parents think twisting a knife upon a wound heals it faster, but
it doesn’t, it only make things worse for both parties, but parents have
their own way of thinking as we have ours.
Parents are probably right in their opinions; because they too passed
our age, and are definitely more experienced; but we need to have our
own opinions; we need to pass this age in our own way and we know
without our parents help we’ll never get through; therefore we need our
parents beside us but we need them to understand us and that does not
mean that we don’t value parents’ advice it’s just that teens think
differently. |
