 Life as a teenager
by Vimukthi Karunaratne
The teen age is a period of
seven years in a person’s life. All of us chose who we wanted to be and
what path we would follow during this period of our lives. We discovered
ourselves and started building our own identities as teenagers.
If you already are an adult and if you are a doctor or a lawyer or a
rugby player in the national team today, it is because of the ambitions
and dreams you had during those teen years. You laid the foundation and
took your first step towards the career path you chose during the time
period you sat for your O/Ls and A/Ls as a teenager.
A person starts to feel his responsibilities and duties for the first
time. Your physical changes occur and you become curious about your
sexuality. With all of this happening for the first time, life can be
pretty scary and difficult.
As adults, when you look back and when you look at the teenagers
today, you might think of those years as years of immaturity, freedom
and simplicity, which is true up to a certain extent, but if you really
think of how you lived those years, you will find that life was not that
easy for you when you were a teenager yourself. And I am sure that the
best memories you have; the ones you want to tell your grandchildren are
also from those times.
The roles you play as a teenager and what teens and adults should
understand their son or daughter. The role of a responsible son or
daughter is not that simple or even easy. Being up to the high standards
of the parents and compromising your dreams for the sake of their
happiness takes a fair deal of sacrificing. As a teenager, those are
sacrifices everyone should make as it is a part of your responsibility.
And most teenagers make this effort to satisfy their parents, even
though sometimes they are not able to meet their exact standards.
So dear parents, understand, encourage and appreciate the effort they
are making even if they are not up to your standards. Each time you do
not see your child’s efforts and make him or her feel like a failure,
you are scattering their dreams and hopes.
And you are bringing your child down emotionally and mentally.
Children turn away from their parents most of the time because the
parents do not try to relate to them and understand them. But sometimes
it could be that the parents’ appreciation is not seen by the child. So
teens, it is your responsibility to look closely in to your parents.
The more mutual and deep the relationship between a teenager and the
parent is, the more beautiful these years will be for both the teen and
the parents. And the other aspect is trust. Teens, it is your
responsibility to earn the trust of your parents and maintain it. And
dear parents, it is your responsibility to show them your trust and
faith.
This will encourage the teens to go on the right path. The student -
Teens, these are the years that are going to determine your future.
Education wise, the hurdles that come your way will lay the foundation
to the career path you want to take. O/Ls and A/Ls are two hurdles that
are going to open up new avenues for your future.
You might not be the smartest or the cleverest, but make an effort.
Give your 150% for your studies and concentrate and focus, and you will
be able to make it through shining. And you will be able to make your
family proud and even spark smiles on their faces. And adults, it is
your duty to encourage them and build their confidence towards it.
 The role of a friend - As teens we all spend most of our time with
friends.
It is your responsibility to be a trustworthy, helping, supporting
and an understanding friend. It is also your responsibility to not get
carried away with the freedom you find among friends and not let them
get carried away either. As teens, you need friends and their
association. Use it wisely. Adults must understand that with all the
curiosity and confusion, they need the association of friends. And it is
how they learn to blend with the society. So understand them and allow
it with certain limits.
Teen age is the time period when we have all the questions in the
world but no answer given to you is good enough. You try to find better
answers on your own discovering yourself at the same time. You set your
tastes, likes, and standards in things.
You discover and invent who you want to be and what you want to be
doing for the rest of your lives. Responsibilities and duties as a
student, a son or a daughter, a friend, and a family member come to you
during this time. It is not about flowers and butterflies all the time
anymore. Many even start working, taking family responsibilities.
Some study while doing work. If you are an adult, you must understand
what a teenager goes through during these times. You may feel their life
is simple and easy, but it is not. It is a time when there is a lot of
confusion, with your mind going through a storm thinking of the future
and life.
With many years ahead and only a bit of knowledge of the world,
scared of the decisions made, thinking what if they failed. It is the
understanding of the adults around them that will get them through.
Listen to them, understand them and guide them. As teenagers, you
need a plan; a plan to take you from where you stand now to where you
want to be as an adult. And as teenagers, you tend not to listen to
adults, but as you reach the end of your teen years, you will realize
that most of what they said was true. So pay attention to them. They can
teach you a lot. |
