Teenagers Life : A Myth

MYTH: There have always been teenagers.

Of course there have always been people aged between 13 and 19. But we love putting people into pigeon holes. As soon as ‘teenager’ had been invented, it was seized on by all kinds of 20+ experts – and we’ve been stuck with it ever since. Teenage life doesn’t end for us until we guys get married, we think then we get a bit matured.

MYTH: Teenage behavior is the same the world over.

True, young people tend to be more open, straight forward and impetuous than older ones. Does this mean all of them – or even the majority – behave the same way? Of course not.

Take two extreme examples: a middle-class Indian student, with little serious responsibility other than for their college grades ,they actually then start thinking to what to do and a Saudi Arabian Bedouin married at 14 and parent of three children by the age of 18. The lifestyles and attitudes of these two teenagers couldn’t be further apart.

MYTH: Teenagers are irresponsible.

Oh yes? Like nearly everyone, teenagers behave as society expects them to behave. We are expected to behave properly to show that we are mature enough. But what is the logic behind acting as mature if we are supposed to be a teenager it’s our time to do the mistakes which can lead our way to become a mature one.

MYTH: Being a teenager is ‘just a phase’.

We’re back at that pigeon-holing business again. Ever since Shakespeare made one of his characters divide human life into seven ages, so-called experts have been dreaming up categories to slot us into. The reality is that life’s a roller coaster – up and down, backwards and forwards, with everyone moving at different speeds. Never heard a boy called a ‘little old man’ or seen an adult behaving childishly?

‘Teenager’ may be a convenient label – but choosing an item by its label is no guarantee that it fits.

MYTH: Teenagers are selfish.

Teenagers are no more selfish than anyone else. If some do behave selfishly, it’s probably because they’re spoilt. And why does that happen? Because in our society everything is judged by its cash value. Children are their parents’ biggest investment: the cost of a child from birth to graduation is now reckoned to be $227,000 (Centre for Economic and Business Research, 2014). That makes one children more expensive than two houses and cars combined.

Now if we become a successful personality then we are good but if we failed to just fulfill some of society’s wishes then we are selfish.

MYTH: Teenagers are a clearly defined group.

Rubbish. A 16-year-old wins a gold medal in the pool – she’s a ‘woman’. The same person is bullied at school – and calls ‘child’ line. If we do such things that makes us famous and makes some money then we are adult but at the same age if we are enjoying life and doing nothing then we are “The Teenagers”

MYTH: Teenagers can’t be good parents.

Parenting skills depend on personality and upbringing. Older parents, having spent years thinking only of their own well-being, find it difficult to welcome a new and demanding individual into their lives. In the West today we frown on teenage parenthood. For most of human history this sort of thinking would have been seen as perverse.

MYTH: Teenagers don’t read books.

Wrong. As it was so you were clearly not be reading this as these blogs are also somehow like books just on internet.

Like adults, some do, some don’t. Ok, teenagers don’t like being told what to read – but who does? And yes, they’re tech-savvy enough to handle a wide range of media.

MYTH: One can generalize meaningfully about teenagers.

This should be pretty obvious by now. The age at which people are thought ‘young’ changes over time and between cultures. And the way younger adults behave has also changed through history and according to community values.But as we’re stuck with the word ‘teenager’, what do we do? We could use it in a non-judgmental way just to mean those aged 13-19. Or, better still, we could ditch it altogether and take people for what they are, not how they’re labeled.