Pages of Unexpectedness

The Trouble of Teenhood

You know, I write a lot of essays that I put a lot of my heart and soul into, but then really never share with anyone outside of the teacher to whom it is assigned. I think I might start occasionally publishing the essays I write that I'm pretty proud of. 

This one in particular has a pretty interesting prompt: "What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What's the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?" I admit I mainly elaborated on what it meant to be a teenager, but that is extremely important for my points. I admit the essay reveals my deep thoughts can be a bit scattered -- I'm struggling to make sure it all connects. But hey! Tell me what you think. 

I must warn that I do mention my religious beliefs a few times. 

AGH MY ESSAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE 300-500 WORDS
aaaaAAAAaaand I accidentally made it over 1000 O__O ... please don't kill me, deeeean

The Trouble of Teenhood

What is it like to be jammed between two worlds, unable to relish the full benefits of both yet on the brink of doing so? If a person is or has ever been a teenager, then they know that sense of being and identity that, for some, never float to the surface of their awareness or, for others, is all they can think about. For that is the true essence of being a teenager: a person who is in between being a child and an adult. No one quite can determine the exact moment a child becomes a teenager and the exact moment a teenager becomes an adult; that moment is blurrily outlined with subtle experiences that specifically cause that change. Just like all other stepping stones of life, they can be beautiful or painful; mine are bittersweet. To pinpoint what exactly are the best and worst parts of teenhood is dependent on every person's experience, yet every person faces a different experience. Everyone grows up at a different pace and everyone faces different joys and pains. For children who are beginning to knock at the fabled doors of growing up, I would advise to avoid comparisons to others, embrace change, and both pursue maturity and expect related struggles.

Recognize that teenagers all have different levels of maturity both physically and emotionally. Some people begin puberty at nine while others start at fifteen, and teenagers can just as easily have the maturity of a wise adult as the maturity of a childish elementary schooler. Two teenagers can have the same physical age yet be years apart in who they are on both the inside and outside. Everyone is just struggling to figure themselves out, and, unfortunately, humans naturally tend to compare themselves to others. Sometimes, as a teenager, a person cannot afford to do that when all of his or her peers are on completely different levels. Whether it is facing puberty or social problems, it is important to be patient with yourself and to love what you got no matter what everyone else thinks. People should keep their eyes on the bigger picture rather than focusing on the race that is impossible to truly win. There will always be someone better than who you are and there will always be someone who is worse.

Along with this, it is also worth noting that long-lasting friendships are bound to change because teenagers themselves are constantly changing. It does not necessarily mean that old friendships will change for neither the better nor worse; however, when two friends are both growing and changing, the relationship between them is also bound to evolve and adapt as well. As a sixteen-year-old, I have many friends I used to or still am best friends with, but with time came change that affected not only us but the closeness we held. My absolute best friends of middle school, with whom I shared so many close, personal moments and secrets, are now merely acquaintances who may even barely glance my way when I see them. It sounds painful to imagine that the same people whose souls we once deeply fell platonically in love with are now nothing but a loose connection that could easily disappear. Usually, however, this mutual indifference is not something to be feared because change is an important part of life and growing up; as a Christian, I have faith that my God will someday lead me into an even better, closer friendship. Every ending is a beginning that is waiting to happen; we must remain realistically optimistic and allow God to lead us into our future.

To be a teenager is to be in between a child and an adult, but it is almost never a fast, clear transformation. A common teenage complaint is "I am expected to act like an adult yet am treated like a child," and this annoying experience are guaranteed to happen many times. However, we must recognize that before we are treated as mature, we must prove that we are. Teenagehood is naturally filled with urges to be independent and rebellious, and it can be difficult to resist these blood-boiling impulses. However, ultimate maturity includes knowing when to submit and how to have patience with both our underlings and superiors. There are differing benefits and difficulties between childhood and adulthood, and teenagehood contains different chunks of both. Some teenagers receive the benefits of both, some receive the negatives of both, and most receive an uneven mixture of childhood and adulthood occurrences. It is a struggle of finding one's own identity, who they are, who they want to be, and how to change or accept it. I quote 1 Corinthians 13: 9-12: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Paul, the disciple of Jesus who wrote 1 Corinthians, directly references the transition from child to man. Based on this Biblical definition, the main goal of teenagehood is learning and struggling to put the ways of childhood behind us. It is wiser to relish the future of our adulthood than to cling to the past of our childhood, so teenagers should take every opportunity to increase their maturity and knowledge.

The best part of being a teenager is the same as the worst part of being a teenager: the unique experience of learning how to maturely accept change. It hurts so much to leave behind the memories of the past, but learning to overcome pain is what leads us to emotional maturity. One must be willing to accept when he or she is wrong and humbly correct themselves; every person on the earth holds a story and a lesson to teach. Take my advice, younger generation, and avoid self comparisons, expect relationship shifts, and patiently aspire for maturity.