Dear Teenager

Dear Teenager

There are so many qualities I enjoy about you. Your energy and buzz ; the way you throw yourself into something that is interesting or meaningful to you. The fresh way you view the world around you.

Spending time with you in conversation is  mostly great fun and engaging. I for one, do enjoy they way you tick.

My mind is so full of many ideas, hopes and dreams I long to share with you as you journey on to full adulthood. 

I wonder what you make of us? 

The adult world ?

I guess , that much like anybody else, your private thoughts of us, the adults you encounter, are made public in your interactions with us.

Now, I get the hormones; the fatigue; the moodiness and bad day stuff and hey, I even get the "cool" factor although just saying it is over ratted and fades in time, so try not to spend too much time with it.  The so called cool kids at school simply don't stay cool at all.

Here are some observations!!

The woman you encounter in your day; your mother, your domestic helper ; teacher ; friends mothers - well they are actually all real human beings. They might wash and cook and lift you wherever your heart desires, but they are actually living , breathing people who have hopes, dreams, lives.

Treating one human being as human, well that is simply good, healthy human behaviour. Now I realise, we, the adult world have not modelled healthy human behaviour well and I appologise for this, however, I am sure YOU can do better.

So, when you encounter adults, men and women,  as they serve you, perhaps decide to greet them and treat them as fellow human beings.    Simply taking what you need from adults, especially women adults, might render you one of those adult males who go around treating woman as if they are a piece of dog poo on a shoe.

I realise this needs to be modelled and once again we have not don't this well either, BUT surely you can be the change!!

If you desire at all to be a person of Character, start while you are in your teens. Research shows that habits formed now stay with you into adulthood.

Can I encourage you to take a look around. I realise you are in that self phase, but do yourself an enormous favour and lift your eyes up out of the self. It would amaze you what you might discover. 

A hot tip from one who has been there before , after all we were all teenagers at one time or another, you will never say, " Boy I was so glad I only thought about myself only when I was a teenager. "

Yours in hope

a fellow human being

'