Life As I Know It (Pt. 2 Things I Hate)

Turn-signal happy people.

That is my number one pet peeve. I cannot stand it! Unfortunately my mother is one of the worst offenders. She sometimes manages to turn her turn signal on a good mile before where we're turning, or 3 streets early (okay maybe a slight exaggeration but it has happened before). I tense up as soon as I hear the clicking and calmly say, "Mom..." By this point she's learned that when I say that it means she's turned it on too early and she calmly turns it off, waits a bit, and then turns in back on at a more appropriate distance from our turning point. I've not always been this way. It really only started to bug me after I got my permit. The ironic part is that every once in a while I will catch myself putting my turn signal on way too early (not as early as my mom) and I silently chastise myself. I even bug myself! I can presume that not everyone gets annoyed by turn signals, but there are a number of things that teenagers as a whole usually hate.



Things I Hate

1. The Opposite Sex (or Same Sex) - Yes, I am aware I put this on my Things I Love list, however it is just as valid here. Boys drive us absolutely insane sometimes. They somehow manage on days when I am already on edge to drive me completely over it. Making obnoxious jokes, being nice to you one day and completely distance the next, their cocky attitudes, their complete lack of caring, etc. etc. And generally, most people don't like to get dumped, so the person that dumped them might get some hatred directed at them as well. Yet, whether we love them or hate them, we couldn't survive without them. :)

2. Homework - This is fairly straightforward. Who likes going to school for 8 hours a day and then coming home for more work? Or at least if we're going to have to do homework, it would be nice if the teachers actually realized that we have other aspects to our lives, and kept the homework to a minimum.

3. Stress Inducers - When I am already stressed out and somebody else comes up to me and starts complaining about how stressed they are (admittedly I've done this too) it makes me stress out even more. It's like, I already am up to my neck in stress and now you're coming and piling more stress on me? Or parents suggesting that you pick up another extra curricular or make sure you're ahead on your college plans. As if I don't have enough to do already.

4. Parent's Rules - Whether it is a curfew, driving restrictions, bedtimes, not being able to go to a friend's house, or dating rules, there is bound to be at least one rule that parents make and their teenagers hate.  The only way I have learned how to deal with these rules is to act responsibly as possible and not argue with their decisions. Eventually there is a good chance they'll lighten up, and if you prove to them you're mature enough to make your own decisions they'll give you more freedom more quickly (I'm not saying this is easy to do. Actually it's really hard). And freedom is something teenagers love.

5. Waking Up Early/ Mornings - I hate getting up early and I am not a morning person. I get up at around 7:00 on school days to make it to school by 8:00, and I know I wake up late compared to a lot of kids. Teenagers are supposed to get about 9 hours of sleep every night, but between staying up late and getting up early I know I only average about 7 1/2. After a while I begin to feel worn out and I long for the glorious days of summer when I can sleep in till 12:30 in the afternoon and average 11 1/2 hours of sleep a night instead of 7 1/2.

Oh, and according to the Rules Of The Road in Illinois, you should put your turn signal on 100 feet before you turn. No sooner is necessary!

Next up is the Things Teenagers Really Don't Give a Crap About List.

Peace and stay safe.

Life As I Know It (Pt. 1 - Things I Love)

As I began to think of what I was going to write in my blog this semester, the idea dawned on me: Hey, why don't you remind all the adults in this world, just what being a teenager is like. Sure they may have been teenagers at one point, but it's probably been awhile, things aren't quite as crystal clear in their memory as they used to be, and things have changed since the Baby Boomer's have grown up. Maybe they need reminding just what it means to be a teenager. The portrayal of teenagers on TV and in the media doesn't help anything either. Parents and adults see teenagers constantly drinking, smoking, getting pregnant, and bickering with authority figures. Certainly these things do happen, but that's not the case in a large amount of teenager's lives. So this blog is to remind adults what it is like to be a teenager, and also to remind teenagers that they're not alone in what they're going through.

Therefore, what better way to start off a blog series about the actual life of an American teenager than to list a few of the things that I personally, and I think in general teenagers as whole, love, hate, or really don't give a crap about. As I am writing this blog I am taking some liberty with using the plural tense. I am aware that not all teenagers are going to agree with everything on this list, however I'm describing things as I feel them, and as I observe them in the world around me. I'll start of with the things I love category.

Things I Love List

1. Friends - I adore my friends. Without them I might not survive the days that seem like everything that could possibly have gone wrong, went wrong, and with them I have had some of the best days of my life. Friends are there during the good and the bad times. Friends are there when you flunked a test, got dumped by your boyfriend (or girlfriend), are having a fight with your parents, or on a day when you simply need someone to cry to. Friends are there when  you're all dying with laughter about the stupidest joke at 3 a.m., jumping around and dancing at a school dance (or not at a school dance), going shopping or out to eat, playing sports, and when you look down the hallway or around in the classroom.

2. Food -  Most teenagers, both guys and girls love food. Some may love it more than others, but regardless, the majority of teenagers have no problem listing several different foods that they love. Sweets are often a favorite, but I know that fruits and pastas are both very high on my list. There are very few foods that I love more than a cool, ripe peach on a hot summer day. Unfortunately some teens love food too much, as is seen in the growing number of children and teenagers that are becoming obese. However, if eaten with care, and friends, food can be quite fun.

3. The Opposite Sex (Or the Same Sex) - Whether you regard yourself as straight, gay, lesbian, queer, or questioning, chances are you are attracted to someone. The preteen and early teen years can sometime be awkward as you suddenly realize that maybe boys aren't so icky any more, which progresses as you get further into your teenage years to wow...that guy is really attractive, which progresses to you getting the prom date of your dreams! (Okay maybe it doesn't always work that way, but hey, you can still dream!)

4. Music - I may be slightly biased when I put this on the Things I Love List (since I'm a big fan of music), but I'm pretty sure that the majority of teenagers love, or at least listen to, some kind of music. I don't really care what kind of music I listen to, as long as it isn't country. It can be classical, alternative, mainstream, oldies, whatever; you-name-it-I-love-it. And with iPod production still booming, music is becoming more and more accessible.

5. Freedom- We're not ready to go live on our own just yet, but a little extra freedom after we've proven ourselves responsible is never a bad thing. We're old enough we can manage our own bedtimes, homework schedule, and weekend activities, and if we don't, then we're old enough to deal with the consequences. Again, we're not asking you to stay out of our lives completely, because we really don't mind having you around a lot of the time, but a little extra freedom goes a long way.

There are of course many more things in my life that I love, but these are 5 of the biggies. Next up will be the Things I Hate List.

Peace to all and stay safe.

-S.A.S.