As a teenager, I know that almost all teens feel like their parents are either out to get them, feel like they have no privacy, so they might as well go out with friends(or maybe that's just me); are too stressed and some are into drugs, drinking, smoking and what not. I know it doesn't seem like we get stressed like adults do, but honestly, if you think about it.. we have it worse sometimes.. Keeping out grades up to please our family, after school activities, chores at home, making time for friends, peer pressure of drugs, sex, drinking, and staying out of trouble and then there's the Internet. I'm not saying we don't need discipline, I'm just saying don't lay so much responsibility on us, and at least act like you trust us unless we give you a reason not to. But who's fault is that? Look at the world now, look at the people we're surrounded by, look at who's raising us.
It is certainly true that the teens of the 21st century have much more stress than previous decades and the world has become much more dangerous for not only teens, but adults. Not all teens will become drug or alcohol addicts; some will smoke and other won't, but those that do are driven by peer pressure and it generally stems from their very own (teens and not the parents) where a teen wants to fit into a group of other teens so is more apt to take risks with drugs or alcohol. It only takes once to be given a drug or drink too much to be rendered unconscious and this is especially dangerous for female teens as rape is up by a large percentage, not to mention the 'date rape drug.' To be more specific there are some bad characters out there waiting for young female teens (even young teen males) and murder is a high percentage as well, not to mention leading young females into prostitution (it does happen more often than you think!) If a teen wants more freedom and responsibility then they are going to have to earn that respect to get that freedom. If a parent says no to something then they have lived a lot longer than that teen and are much more aware of the dangers out in society. Most parents love their children no matter what age and until the teen turns 18 and is no longer a minor they are simply going to have to deal with parents who have thankfully learned to say 'no' every so often to their teen. Parents are not out to make their teen miserable, but love them (more than the teen realizes) and wants to protect them. There are some parents who balance what freedom they choose to give their teens; there are some parents who are too strict and then there are some parents who simply do not care. With many parents where the two have to work it is extremely difficult for a teen to come home to an empty house and perhaps the parents may be too tired or stressed themselves to spend quality time with their teens and open up to hearing what their teen has to say. The parent who has a normal teen should bite the bullet and trust their teen on occasion and depending on the circumstances. Remember your parents were teens once themselves a long time ago and through their own experiences in life (we all make mistakes along the way) and the good parents pass this knowledge along to their teens and later in life that teen who becomes an adult; gets married and has children of their own will pass that knowledge off to their children and you will do the same thing as far as discipline and keeping your children as safe as you can. If a teens grades are decent; they do their chores at home; they respect their parents and choose their friends wisely then that teen should ask their parents to sit down and listen to what they have to say because that teen has earned some freedom and trust. Communication is extremely important in all aspects of life. Good parents will listen to their teen and most likely the parents and teen will come to an amicable decision to give that teen a little more freedom as time goes on. As far as teens whining about 'look who is raising us' or 'my parents are too strict' you should be thankful your parents even care enough to protect you, but that doesn't mean if you are not always getting into trouble that you cannot sit down with your parents and in a mature way ask them for more freedom. Remember this ... there are young mothers who may desert their child; young fathers who don't care about their own child; parents who would rather party or are constantly traveling leaving their teen in another's care and have their own freedom than care about what their teens are doing and then there are teens out on the streets (aka: mean streets) that become victims of all sorts of dangerous acts. Being a teen goes by very quickly although most teens will think it drags on forever. Even after the teen is no longer a minor and becomes an adult parents will continue to worry about them, but most parents will not interfere and pray their child or children feel free enough to come to them if they are in trouble.
Teenage depression isn't just bad moods and occasional melancholy . Depression is a serious problem that impacts every aspects of a teen's life . Left untreated , teen depression can lead to problems at home and school , drug abuse , self- loathing -even irreversinle tragedy such as homocidal violence or suicide.
