What About Those Teenagers Today?
Have you ever thought that teenagers today are self-centered, irreverent, immodest, and disrespectful? You probably have, because it's a common opinion amongst 21st century adults. Would it surprise you to know that Socrates, who was born in 469 BC, felt the same way? Obviously, teenagers haven't changed a whole lot over the centuries. The teen years are difficult ones, because every teen has to find his or her own way through them.
Teens aren't adults yet, but they like to think they are. They want to be considered independent at a time in their lives when they actually could use more guidance than they ever did before. They are growing to take their places in the adult world, a world they are often ill-prepared to deal with. Western teens have grown up in a parental cocoon that was designed to keep them oblivious to what life is really like. Therefore, when they start experiencing the real world, they are disillusioned that life isn't like they expected it to be. Since they weren't exposed to any of the harsh realities of life in the world when they were young, they become frustrated and angry when they start encountering them.
Their hormones are raging, and they crave friends, popularity, and a lot of material possessions. Without a doubt, they have attitude. They swagger a lot and act disdainful of anyone who tries to exert authority over them. The teen years are a time of pushing the limits and learning just how far they can go. They are testing out their own decision-making powers, and sometimes they make mistakes. They try activities they think will show they're grown up, things like sex, drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. Maybe they don't make the wisest decisions, but they have to learn somewhere, and they are far more apt to learn from their friends than they are to take advice from their parents.
Too many adults think that teens today are hopeless cases. However, they're just being typical teenagers in the same way that all of us who have gone through the teenage years before them did.
We'd like to thank Miss Sue Lang on this contribution to our web page.