Why on earth would a 16 year old write a blog? With just a quick google search, you can find countless websites which offer advice for teenagers, but who does this advice come from? That’s right: adults. You may say adults USED to be teenagers, so of course they can relate to teenagers and help them solve their problems. Just in case you don’t see the flaw in this logic already, I will explain it. The world is changing at a rapid rate. Most of the technology that exists today was completely unheard of 40 years ago. With this new technology, you can observe the life of someone who lives on the other side of the world with just a couple taps of your finger. In this age, information spreads like wildfire. With that being said, adults grew up in a much different time. As much as they can try to understand the lives of teenagers growing up in the 21st century, they will never be able to fully relate to us.
Now, if you are an adult reading this and you are thinking: “Pshh, look at this girl, she complains about these things as if they are REAL problems. If only she knew how hard it was growing up in MY time.” Hate to break it to you, but you’re 100% being a hypocrite. Let’s break this down. The phrase “REAL problems” is completely subjective. What causes one person to scream out in delight can cause another person to scream out in despair. I want to make clear that my intention with this blog is never to invalidate anyone’s feelings. If school is causing you stress, but the people around you tell you to “suck it up”, then fuck those people. You could easily do the same thing to them and their struggles. The point is: telling people that they shouldn’t feel upset about something does NOT make them feel any less upset. In fact, in many cases it makes them more upset because now, on top of the original stress, they are thinking: “Oh god, I’m being such a little bitch right now.” This thought makes them ashamed and even more upset. And so the cycle continues.
I’m not trying to say that the problems of teens today are WORSE than the problems of teens decades ago. All I’m saying is that different problems require different solutions. If we approach today’s problems with the tools that solved yesterday’s problems, we are going to make a messy situation even messier. Things are changing fast. We must adapt just as fast or else we are going to be stuck.
To circle back around to the title of this post, I want this blog to make people feel understood. I want people to leave my blog viewing their life situation from a new, refreshed perspective. I want to help parents understand their teenagers more, because I know better than anyone that most teenagers are not very open to sharing their feelings, especially with their parents. I want to help guide you towards the activities that make you feel truly fulfilled, not the activities society pushes on you. And, on top of all that, I hope I am able to connect with every single one of you. I want to form a community where teenagers can gather in a supportive environment (which is very hard to find for teens these days) and make meaningful connections with other teens all over the world.
This is my goal. Will you help me achieve it?
TeenIndependence 