Being a Teenager

Being a teenager really sucks. Because I am a teenager, I am a target. A target to observe and to persuade. I recently read this article, called The World of Teenagers, informing parents about how they should approach teenagers differently. According to the author, adults must learn the world teenagers live in before talking to them. They should recognize that teenagers are just living in a different world. This is ridiculous! There are even books about what teenagers are going through! Well, what they do not realize is that they are generalizing by treating us like we are a whole different species. As the result of reading all these books about behaviors and the social cycle of teenagers, many treat us as a group, rolling their eyes saying 'teenagers' whenever we try to communicate to seek help. They are not truly looking at our individuality. Why do they have to generalize about us and our problems instead of really trying to listen to us? That is the reason why teenagers are having difficulty talking to adults about their problems. They expect what our problems would be and lecture us before we actually talk about them. Stop generalizing! Stop making everything difficult by trying to study our behavior and the usual problems teenagers have. Recognize that we belong in the same world and that it is possible to talk to us before reading all about the 'science' behind teenage behaviors.