Will B.

When I was a teen, I was like all teens and I think in some regards all teens just want to be seen and heard. Teens scream as loud as they can “look at me” but while it may be with every ounce of their being, sometimes it is not with their voices.

They shout, instead, with their actions, their personality and how they dress, all trying to make a statement of some kind. Some teens do so with a mainstream sort of approach while others adopt more unique and quirky styles to show who they are. We should celebrate the differences in their styles and personalities. After all, it would be pretty boring if everyone was the same.

When teens are suppressed by adults from finding out who they are, they sometimes get pushed into being less than genuine. Sometimes they are even pushed down the wrong path. As long as teens are not evolving in a destructive way, I believe they should be allowed to grow into who they want to be. Some parents may push hard on their kids to become great athletes, scholars or musicians, even when the child is not interested. Sometimes teens and children DO need a push, but it is a fine line, for sure.

Growing up, I had the kind of parents who didn’t push me to try new things or strive to obtain greatness. It was to my detriment because I spent most of my life floating in a kind of oblivion, unwilling to try new things personally or professionally that may have led me in new directions. The only rule my dad had for me and my older brother was that you had to either work or go to school while under his roof. He didn’t care if it was one or the other.

As a kid, it did seem amazing to spend every weekend and many a weekday partying without worrying about grades or extracurricular activities but it taught us some really bad habits (as well as a few good ones, I have to say.)

The good that came out of it was a strong independent streak. The bad was that we never learned the art of having to drive towards goals. So many of my friends wished to trade places with my brother and me. Little did they know that all WE wanted was structure, a safe environment to grow and to discover where we fit in or what we wanted to become in life. There is such a fine line between pushing kids too hard and giving no direction to a child’s life.

This is Will B. saying, let’s put these teens under a little less pressure to discover who they want to become and to let them express their own styles.