What It Is Like to Be a Teenager

The following is an essay I wrote for health class. This was in 2001. We had to write about what's it like to be a teenager. I got an A.

WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A TEENAGER

Being a teenager is being in between childhood and adulthood. There are burdens to being a teenager, and that I will explain.
    If you ask an older person what today's teenagers are like, chances are they'll probably say something like: "They're all drinking, smoking, drug-using and having underage sex." This is a stereotype. While there certainly are people like that, there are those - like me - who don't fit that bill. The people who are that stereotype probably live in the city or in seedy neighbourhoods.
    The teenagers who aren't like the stereotype are what I refer to as "normal, everyday people". To describe that would be to say that we do our work, but still have fun; we obey our parents, but are independent. We are young, ambitious and opinionated people.
    The stereotype that I mentioned earlier has several different forms. For example, some people may have the occasional smoke and occasional drink, but may not have sex or take drugs.
    I mentioned earlier about being in between childhood and adulthood. This can very complicated. Your parents may say that you should be grown up, but not too grown up. They may want you to be sweet and innocent, yet knowledgeable. If that makes sense.
    And for teenagers who are the eldest child in their family have to "set examples" for their younger siblings. You know the thing - approachable, intelligent, big achievers, etc. This also happened in life, but when you're about twelve and in Year 6, you also have to do it at school. It is your responsibility then to set examples.
    There are different kinds of music, often liked by teenagers. There is the first kind of stereotypical music - "teeny bopper" music. This includes songs by solo artists that talk about love and loss, boy bands that talk about love and loss and girl bands that talk about love and loss.
    The other kinds of stereotypical teenage music are heavy metal, R&B/rap/soul and dance music.
    And, unfortunately, there are still teenagers out there who act like they're five or eight or something. And if you don't understand that, I can't help you.
    The video we watched in class is hard for me to compare with my modern life. The main characters in the video try to fit in with the in-crowd by helping them cheat, smoking with them and other things. Now I admit that I have helped other people cheat, but not particularly the in-crowd. I've never smoked or been to the kind of parties shown in the film. But if those parties are what being part of the in-crowd is like, then I'm glad I'm not part of it.
    Since I don't drink alcohol, smoke or use drugs, I consider myself fairly healthy. Perhaps I'm not stick-thin, but that doesn't make me "fat". On school days I walk ninety minutes collectively each day from home and school. Which is more than other people might do. But I prefer not to play sports; I like to watch them instead. So what I make up on weekdays, I lose on the weekends.
    Being a teenager, I've started to think about my future. At the moment I want to be a writer, a psychologist or to work in a foreign embassy in Australia. Preferably, a European one. The problem is, I don't have the language skills.
    The problem with those future careers is that you need connections. Even to get a part-time job (except for fast food joints/supermarkets) you need connections because people don't seem to want to hire 14-and-9-months-old students. They want people with previous experience or have connections with the business.
    A recent newspaper article has stated that the new Margaret Clark book, More Secret Girls' Stuff, will not be in primary schools like its prequel was. What's wrong with this book is that it apparently educates 14-year-olds about contraception and a 12-year-old about oral sex. The book is a book of advice to young adult females. I've read the prequel, Secret Girls' Stuff, and agree that its sequel should not be in primary schools.
    And all that I have written is what being a teenager, for me, is about.

Past & Present Italians Pieter van den Hoogenband & Cathy Freeman Safety Conditions in Motorsport What It Is Like to Be a Teenager

Home Assignments Speeches Stories My Livejournal

Got any questions, requests, suggestions or comments regarding this or one of my other sites? Then contact me at aazzaroni@hotmail.com - Alessandra Azzaroni http://stormpages.com/writings/index.htm