So, like my little subheadline thingy says… I thought I needed to do a public service to Facebook by taking my spew off of there all the time.  Now, at least, you decide if you want to do that one more click and read what I have to say… or keep on scrolling.  (Generally I think cat videos, buzzfeed, and “how rock star are you” quizzes are much more entertaining than what I have to say anyway!)

So…  I’ve been thinking this morning about how awful it is to be a teenager.  I mean really, truly awful…

We say things to them like, “How bad can it be?  The only thing you have to worry about is yourself.  Just wait until you’re grown up and you have so many other concerns.”

Don’t let them lie to you, kiddo…  Yes, there are plenty of pressures to being an adult, but anyone who says that to you forgot about the pressures of being a teenager.  I assure you.

You’re stuck in this weird netherworld as a teenager.  You have enough self awareness to realize you’re overreacting, being ridiculous, crying over nothing and all of that, but there is NOTHING you can do about it.  You haven’t yet learned to control your emotions and slough things off.  You are literally incapable of doing so.  That frontal lobe of yours is not fully developed yet; and even though you’ve read the science books and KNOW that it’s true, it doesn’t fix how you feel right a that moment.

You haven’t lived long enough yet to truly believe and KNOW that all things are temporary.  The emotions you’re feeling, no matter how poignant, will ease.  You will be able to get through each obstacle and each hardship.  You really CAN survive what is happening to you, but you haven’t gone through the hard stuff enough times to know that this too shall pass.

People inherently distrust you… and why shouldn’t they? You lie… like, A LOT… You lie when the truth could save you because you’re still trying so hard to figure out who you are.  You want to please everyone, and you want to please yourself, too!  Sometimes it’s not so much a lie as it is a spin on reality…  and sometimes when you’re telling the truth, you’re accused of lying.

The thing is you have all this responsibility and no freedoms.  People are checking on you CONSTANTLY… They’re telling you it’s time to grow up… to take care of your business, but they’re checking on every little stinking thing you do… You have to have a piece of paper with you to go to the BATHROOM for goodness sake!   If you’re an adult and you forgot something in your car that you NEED for the day, you run outside to get it.  If you’re a child, you’re chastised for forgetting it and told you must deal with the consequences because if you ran out to your car bad things could happen…adults don’t know what you have in  your car or what you’re going to do if you’re out of their sight!

And you can’t even really blame them… because the truth be told, you often do something other than what you said you were going to do.  You’re a kid… and you’re curious, and you’re playful.  So when you went in the supply closet to get something really quick for a teacher… and you noticed that there was a LADDER leading UP to somewhere, well, you HAD to climb the ladder.  You had to see where it went… and when you realized you could get on the ROOF with that ladder…  well maybe you HAD to text a few people that you could do that.  And maybe your friends lied and said they had to go to the bathroom, too… and maybe you were ALL on the roof for awhile….  and maybe when you went back to class you lied about where you were…

And adults constantly telling you they’ve “been there… they’ve done that…”  It doesn’t even matter if it’s true.  What the adults forget is that it is nearly impossible to learn from the experiences of others… and it’s even MORE impossible when you’re a teen.  You have not developed the true sympathies and empathies that you will develop later in life.  You understand that it’s IMPORTANT to care about others… and you understand pathos and all that good stuff, in theory… but in reality, you’re so self centered you can’t see past the end of your own nose most days.  Everything in life is all about “How does this affect ME!”  And you KNOW you’re not supposed to feel that way.  You know you’re supposed to put yourself in other people’s shoes…and skin… and whatever…  but your hormones are raging… your mind isn’t fully developed and people expect SOOOOOOOOO much of you all the time!!!

This is not patronizing, This is not a joke.  This is just my way of saying that I do remember.  I do understand.  I don’t blame you, kiddo.  You’re an almost adult who is trying to figure it out day after day… and people who tell you that it isn’t hard have forgotten just how hard it is.  The beauty is that some day it will all just be a memory for you, too.  Hang in there, kiddo…  If you think being a teenager is hard, you’re right.  Most people wouldn’t go back for all the money in the world.