This week, we are getting a bit of a late start--so, the due date for this blog will be Sunday, Dec. 4.
Here are some questions to consider. I will not bog you down with any of my own thoughts on these, so you can just get to the heart of what you want to say.
REMINDER: Blogs matter. Do your best, write professionally but personally, check your work in a Google or Word doc, and post before midnight. Make sure you support what you say with appropriate details, try to work in a lit device or some other demonstration of what you know about communication, like some new vocab or something like that.
Ok, onward and upward.
Question number one: About what do you wish an adult in your life understood or knew about you that they don't already understand or know?
Question number two: At the tender age of either 16, 17 or maybe 18, what, if anything, have you figured out about life? Your life and life in general, that is.
Aaaaaand....GO!
ReplyDeleteI’m pretty much an open book. I’m available to be read at anytime, anywhere, and anyhow. Because of my vulnerability, most people, if not all, understand me pretty thoroughly. Honestly, in my opinion, I don’t think I’m THAT difficult to understand; I’m a fairly simple, easygoing person.
However if there’s one thing that I want an adult to know, something that I want them to have implemented into their head, is that we are going to make it out of here with nothing but a smile on our faces and our heads up. Maybe it’s the fact that times have changed and our teenage generation is not the same as the generation that the current adults experienced in their teenage years. Maybe it’s the constant stories on the news of teenage crimes and shootings and rapes and need I say more? Maybe it’s all the college talk and the realization that some of us need to start working harder if we want to succeed in the real world. Regardless of what it is, I have a small sense of loss of hope within our generation, and I want any adult to KNOW that I, among most of my peers, are going to make it. We are going to do what we want to do and be who we want to be. We are going to accomplish all of our goals and we are going to prove that anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. I want adults to know that we will install hope in those who have lost hope in us. We are not a lost cause. We are finding our way, maybe making a few mistakes along the way, but we will reach our destination, whether we have hope stored in us or not.
I know that I still have a looongggggg way to go. I’m only 16, and given the fact that the average lifespan seems to be around 80-90 years old , I still have a lot to learn and pick up on. As much as I have yet to figure out, I can also say that I have in fact figured out a lot about life in my duration here. I have figured out that it’s particularly dangerous to rely on others. I am here for myself. I know that I need to rely on myself to make decisions and be happy. After all, it’s my life, I need to build it with no one's help but my own. I have also figured out that as much as I like to believe it, not everyone is trustworthy or loyal. My own self is the only person I can trust 100%. I’ve learned that it’s okay to feel the way I do. It’s okay to wake up one morning and be completely happy, but it’s also okay to wake up the next morning and be everything but happy. I’ve figured out, along the way, that emotions are there for a reason; don’t ever be ashamed of how you feel. The most important thing that I have figured out is that you’re not going to get where you want to be if you don’t give it your all. I have come to realizations with the fact that everything I plan on for my future needs to be attained through a lot of hard work and self motivation. Anything is possible if you allow yourself to get there. On a less serious note, I have also figured out that the Ben and Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie pint sized ice cream can be completely demolished in one sitting :)
“You don’t understand!!!”
ReplyDeleteI can’t even remember how many times I have said this to my parents. Deep down inside I know that they understand what I am trying to tell them, but they try very hard to get their point across. What I think my parents don’t understand-mainly my mom- is the rigor of school and the classes I take. My mom is a very supportive woman. She has supported me to the point where I cringe at the word “support.” She has always been there for me at piano recitals, soccer games, doctor appointments, etc. So of course, like every other mom, she thinks I am the best. She truly believes I will make her very proud one day. I wish she knew how hard it was. I wish she knew all the times I said “goodnight” to her at 10:30 it only meant that I was going in my room to finish the REST of my homework. I wish she knew that the days she told me to get off my phone I was studying for a test on Quizlet. I wish she knew that the reason for my week long headache was because it was the last week of the trimester. I wish she knew.
I have learned that laziness does not do anything for me. It’s nice sitting on the couch and watching movies instead of studying for a physics test, trust me, I know. However, the joy that it brings me when I see that I have accomplished something is tremendous. When I get 100’s on the vocab tests it makes me feel very proud of myself. It honestly has nothing to do with the grade in the gradebook or my overall grade, but the feeling of accomplishing something I couldn’t before is wonderful. I know that high school isn’t like the real world, but school is something that I am very fond of. When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to pick the career that would keep me in school the longest. Luckily, my morals changed when I got a little older. Now I want to save as many people as I can. I know what I want from my life, and I have many expectations for myself. What I have learned is to keep pushing forward, and put in my absolute best effort into everything.
My parents have instilled in me, that being respectful to adults is up there with common sense. So depending on the adult, I carry myself in two ways: (1) very minimal, proper, and all smiles. (2) quiet, expressionless, and again minimal. I don’t know why but it is just the way I have managed to act around adults unless I become dangerously comfortable, then my real side sort of comes out. Fact of the matter is adults usually see one side or the other, and if it were not evident, I am very reclusive. Encountering adults everyday is sometimes a struggle, because my teachers for instance, see the facade I display while knowing nothing about how I am really feeling. So sometimes I just wish somehow my teachers, or my parents, or people I see everyday can understand when something is affecting me in a bad way. I would wish this because I am the type of person who is swayed by how the day unfolds, and a really bad day to me seems ten times worse than it really is. And it always seems that when I have a bad day, little things keep happening to make it worst, and the little things are often caused by adults. More often than usual I display my discomposure through the expression of my face, and if reading a person's countenance is not enough to tell their mood, then I definitely wish it could be.
ReplyDeleteAt sixteen I have figured out that I am affected by the words, actions, and moods of others. I feel negative vibes, or positive vibes and they affect my mood. If you ask my friends I am always talking about sensing negative vibes in an area or from a person. I figured out that I flip flop from interests like one might change clothes, but it’s always an art form. I might go from dancing, to painting, to photography, to drawing, to writing, and back again. I understand that I should communicate more, because thinking is great but not when you do it too much. I understand now that people are not always out to get me, and I should probably be a little bit more trusting towards the people who love me. As well as the fact that everyone is not the person they pretend to be, or the smiles they hide behind, that heartbreak is as real as love, and that I might be a little bit insensitive when it comes to feelings towards other people, although I am a passionate person. I know the difference between compassionate and passionate, and I should probably learn more about showing compassion towards others. I learned that no matter how much progression it seems that we’re making, something will always happen to create some sort of set back, and I know that we choose what is important to us, and the effort we put forth is often reflected in that.
Adults especially those in my family seem to undermine my sincerity when I say I am always happy. They doubt the truth behind what I say. They believe I just say that so people don't worry about me, but when I say it I mean it in all honesty. I am genuinely always a happy person. I guess you can blame that on different perspectives and since I am the minority I appear to be in the wrong. As much frustration as it brings me it still doesn't stop me from telling them and showing them the truth behind what I say. This way of thinking has translated into truths I've discovered about life. I'm only at the age of 17, but still I have realized that life is too short. I've experienced numerous deaths inside my family and have realized that one day you can be here and the other you might not, so take every day for granted. There is no time to waste on being sad. Wasting time on being sad can only result in regret. You could not wake up the next morning and it's all over.
ReplyDeleteAs I continue with my years of school and soccer, one thing remains the same. That is, my low confidence. Having low confidence in yourself is something that I find very hard to deal with; especially when an adult figure happens to degrade you. I wish that adults had a better understanding and knowledge of this flaw of mine. I've had a soccer coach tell me to my face that I do everything wrong and I have had teachers pass out tests to me and say that my sister is smarter. Even though these scenarios may sound simple, a person like me with low confidence has a hard time dealing with that. If the adults who make comments like these kept quiet, then maybe I would feel better about myself and what I do. However, I have learned that life is not fair. There are going to be people who bring your down and give you trouble. That’s just life, and you can't control the kind of person they are. I have learned to stay positive and I am working on taking comments like the ones said above and using them as a way to motivate me to do better.
ReplyDeleteAfter being alive for 16 years, I wish that adults would stop trying to run our lives, especially our parents. I know, I know, parents are there to guide us on the right path and give us life-changing advice and what-not. But sometimes, they overstep their boundaries. I even found a term on the internet for that: helicopter parents. the term basically means a parent who is there constantly, "hovering" over their child's shoulder, making every single decision for them. The last time I called my mom one, she sat me down for a 4 hour lecture (no joke), so I learned my lesson. I mean, sure, advice and wisdom is nice here and there when we need it, but when it starts to get to the point where advice turns into choices, it crosses the line. I just wish that adults, and especially parents, knew when to leave us to our own devices and let us make our own decisions to shape our own lives.
ReplyDeleteAfter gathering the fruits of my travels from 16 years of my lovely life I have learned that timing is everything. Being in the right place, and being there at the right time is key to succeeding in life. You could have all the right qualifications for the job of your dreams, but if someone else gets there before you, you lose your opportunity. Like the old saying goes, "The early bird gets the worm."
I'll be honest I really do not have that big of a problem of understanding with most adults in my life. Either they are to complex or they actually have a plausible point. Although their is one thing though and that have an issue and that is whenever I start to get agitated when my Dad is around. Every time I stare to flare anger my Dad is quick to decry and scold me on why its bad to be angry. It always leaves me in an awkward state were I know I have to calm down I have to calm down and feeling like killing something. I really wish my dad would understand I sometimes I just get angry at something. It's as if he is try to remove my emotion of anger which is impossible since I'm a human being and not a robot. But I still love my dad and maybe one day I'll understand why he snaps at me so coldly and quickly, because as of now I am clueless on why.
ReplyDeleteNext what do I know about life as of now? Well Its that practice makes perfect. Over my 16 years of living I've always wish I was good at a lot of stuff like algebra, playing the guitar, or playing a video game. I always get angry on way am I not good at those things and then I realized it. I need to try and fail over and over before I can even think about being a pro at something. So try try and try again and maybe you'll be good at it. But emphasis on maybe because it might be too much for some people to handle challenging tasks like math.
There are times when I’m grumpy, and cranky. My parents - mostly my mom - would ask me something or ask me to do something and I would answer her with such irritability. She will then deluge me of things that their generation didn't do to their parents, like giving them an attitude, which I honestly don't mean to do it just happens due to circumstances. I do understand when my mom scolds at me, but this year has been stressful compared to the past years because being “a junior” in high school happened to be that way. I have a lot of things in mind and so much things to do. I’m not selfish because I am aware that my parents have many things in mind too. They have my brothers and I to worry about, work, and daily expenses. However, I wish my parents understand the times I've been lazy to help with the household chores is because my mind is tired, and my body is tired - especially when I have sports. Sometimes I am so tired that when I do my homework or something in general I feel dumb because something so simple I can't answer or do, until I take my super nap; my brain goes blank or robotic without sleep. I wish that my mom would understand that I didn't mean to be disrespectful during the times I was to her. I wish that when I start to isolate myself from them, they know that I just wanted to finish all the things I needed to do and refresh my mind from whatever that's making me grumpy or cranky because I don't want to take out my emotions on them.
ReplyDeleteEver since freshman year, I’ve been a busy bee. Aside from school and afterschool activities, I find time to go somewhere new, do something productive, or make memories with my friends. I grew up with my dad constantly telling my brothers and me to BE PROACTIVE, so I did and still doing just that. I learned the importance of being proactive. Life will not take me anywhere without initiation. Life will not take me anywhere by just sitting here waiting for something to happen. When I realize I will have an open schedule, I literally panic because I'm afraid time will be wasted. Usually when this happens, I busy myself at home like cleaning my room, cleaning the house, trying out a new baking recipe, or go out for a run, or play tennis. This proceeds to what I learned about life in general; as one of the most famous quotes say, “time is gold, don’t waste it, don't take it for granted, always make the best of it… ‘cause you never know when you might run out of it.” Enjoy and live life to the fullest. Always put your best foot forward because most experiences are only a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don’t live life full of regrets and what ifs because we only get one chance to show the world who we are.
When an adult, or a teacher, or really when anyone looks at me, I will 95% of the time have a straight look on my face. They immediately think I’m in a bad mood, or that something is wrong, or that I’m mad at the world. I'm not I promise. That's just my face, or like some people like to call it, my resting bitch face. I wish that adults and teachers, and even all of my peers knew this because I don't want people to think that I’m mad all the time. I don't want them to think that I don't want to be talked to. I don't want them to think that I bite. I'm a nice person, really, my natural face just makes me look angry. I always get asked if I’m okay or if there’s something wrong and the answer is always yes I’m okay and no there is nothing wrong. I mean sometimes I may be in a bad mood but again, 95% of the time, I’m fine.
ReplyDeleteHaving been in this world for 16 years, I have learned lots about life. One of the biggest things being that life is way too short. It feels like just yesterday, my little freshman self, walking into Oakcrest trying to find my way around. Now I’m a junior in high school, graduating in a little over a year. I'm already at the beginning of the end of my high school school career. I’m going to be getting my license soon. I’m soon going to be wearing a cap and gown, receiving my high school diploma. I will soon be going off to college. This is why we have to live in the moment and focus on the present because it'll be your past in the blink of an eye. Don't focus much on the past or the future. Cherish every moment of your life.
Everything happens for a reason. And I know I can be a pretty forgetful person. Half of the time, I can't even remember what I had for lunch. But sticking to this topic, I’m not someone to be easily angered by a lot of things. And I don't have a lot to hide about me. But what really grinds my gears is that neither my mother or father seem to understand is when I have something repeated to me multiple times, it frustrates me.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I’ve been having problems with my phone for the past couple of weeks. Unless I’m at home, I can't access anything on my phone that has to do with the Internet (so apps like Twitter, Snapchat or even Remind). It got to the point where I couldn't even receive text messages and calls or call or text anybody. So of course, my mom had to call Verizon to see what the problem was. And it seemed like every five seconds, the operator told me the following words to get my phone to works again: “Now you have to hold down the power button and volume button down at the same time.” The purpose of this process was to be able to get to another screen that would help my phone work again. I wasn't even mad when it didn't work the first time. But then it happened a second time, then a third time. You get the idea here and it was annoying having to do the same thing over and over again and having the same result. That is the definition of insanity and I may be a bit crazy, but certainly not insane.
And the worst part is that my mom noticed my frustrations and couldn't muster up anything to say to me. Maybe if I was still in middle school, I wouldn't be ranting on a blog post about the problems with my phone. But as a teenager, I suddenly have responsibilities and a life to live and I need my phone to do that. But that's just a prime example of what I mean when I say I hate having things repeated to me. And I truly do mean that.
But sticking to the responsibilities of a teenager, there can be a lot of crap you have to endure while being a teenager in high school. I mean just for starters, you're in high school until you become a young adult. During your time in high school, you figure out who you are as person. For me, there is a lot I've come to know about my friends. And if I can be brutally honest, there are a couple that are going to grow up to be something they don't want to be. And I always find myself helping out not just those people, but everybody else that is a part of my life in some way.
I am simply just a helpful, caring person. And I don't think there is anything that will change that. I haven't lost all faith in humanity yet, meaning that there is always someone that is looking out for you. I think especially for me, I can count on plenty of people having my back. My life may just be beginning, but I can assure you that there is still plenty of me that I've yet to know about, but that is just one.
Truthfully, I struggled with thinking of something to write about for the blog this week, partially because I feel like I am already understood by adults, but mainly because the only thing running through my head all day everyday is field hockey. I kept thinking of ways to relate my favorite thing in the world ever to this blog, and you don’t have to worry, because I did. With that being said, it’s not an adult that I wish understood my passion for field hockey, it's everyone, strangers, and friends. I know, I’ve said it millions of times, but I really do love this sport and want to express it to the whole word. Plenty of times, after and amazing game or practice, I would be walking around a store, or in public, and I would feel tremendously proud about myself. But how could a stranger know? How would a stranger know what is making me so happy? I need it written on my forehead. Not really, but that's what I wish people understood. I wish people understood my passion, and my drive, and endless effort for the sport that many overlook. I wish people could share the same passion I do, I wish I could relate to people. I wish people truly understood how much I love field hockey. But besides the fact I just took advantage of the first half of this blog to talk about field hockey again (sorry not sorry), I’ll get straight to the real question; What do I wish an adult in my life understood? To be completely honest, I feel understood, and no, I’m not saying this just so I don’t have to write, I genuinely feel understood. I never find that I have to explain myself and I never feel like I’m being questioned. I feel love and support from every adult in my life. With that answer comes the next question; What have I figured out about life? I’m 13 days away from turning 17. That’s 13 days until I get my license, and 13 days until I have an ample amount of freedom, so basically that qualifies me to answer this question as a well experienced human being. From my 17 years I have learned that life is what you make it. What you put in, is what you get out. For example the saying my mom always uses on my brothers and me, “Treat people the way you want to be treated.” If you want someone to treat you with respect, you must first treat them with respect. But it extends far beyond that. The effort you put into something will determine the outcome. In middle school I played basketball, I wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t good. I was just apart of the team. I practiced with the team, but rarely went above and beyond, probably why I sucked. Where as with field hockey, I put 110% effort in every practice and every game, and the outcome? Most valuable player. Life is what you make it.
ReplyDeleteIf I could let any adult know something that they don’t understand about me it would be to tell my Mom that I’m not a slacker and don’t care about school. I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal but believe me when I say it is. My Mom believes that I slack off all the time in school and I always try to explain that I don’t but it just never gets through. I receive A’s and B’s in school. I was never a C student ever in my lifetime and I won’t ever strive to be one. My Mom needs to understand that the courses I’m taking through these three trimesters are very difficult and demanding.
ReplyDeleteThrough the first trimester I learned what is was like to become a junior. I learned the difficulties of AP Lang and APush as well as other classes. This was a whole new experience for me. High school is a rigorous place to be especially during your junior year. I just want to be able to tell my Mom that I’m working as hard as I possibly can and that I am not a grade on the computerized report card she sees after each trimester. I understand that these grades are extremely important to my future but I just want her to understand that I’m trying my very best.
At the age of 16 years old I have learned so much about life and I know there is plenty more to come shooting at me but the one thing I really figured out is that failing is okay. Just look around at everyone in the entire world. They all have failed in one point in their lifetime. Failure is inevitable. It’s like a never-ending wall that no matter which way you walk, left or right, the only way to avoid it is by climbing over the top. By climbing over the top I mean trying harder to succeed.
Failure for me has come in many different shapes and sizes. Whether it was failing a test or striking out in baseball. It comes in many forms. The thing that makes me furious is when people fail and complain but then fail again. If you fail then try again and again and again until you reach your goal and succeed. Success rarely comes without failure. If you succeed the first time then good job but if you fail you can’t get yourself down and this is what I have learned about life. If I fail so be it, it just makes me work harder and better to reach my goal. This is the outlook everyone should have. Don’t make something bad worse but rather take failure and turn it into success.
I wish adults knew that we’re defending ourselves rather than talking back. We have a voice and we’re going to use it. We will NOT just sit back and be submissive or quiet. The adult generation grew up differently than we did but I do not want history to repeat itself with adults ruining their child’s mental health and self-esteem. If something offends me, I am going to say something because I think it’s not appropriate nor right for someone to say that about me or anyone. I am in no way being disrespectful, I am simply standing up for myself. Something we are taught if someone is bullying/making fun of you. I understand the whole ‘respect your elder’ rule but if an elder is saying something that is hurtful, then shouldn’t I be able to say something to correct them? Especially when someone 40+ makes a stereotype about my race, nine times out of ten their response is ‘your generation can’t take a joke!’ or ‘my God, stop being so sensitive! You teens can’t a joke!” instead of ‘I’m sorry that I offended you, I won’t do it again’. Our generation isn’t sensitive, we are just tired of the sexist, racist, ableist etc. jokes. We are ‘woke’ as we like to put it. We are tired of being treat like nothing, we want to be seen as young adults who can be taken seriously and will not take any bullshit from anyone. And if that has to start with standing up to those who are stuck in the 1800’s, then so be it.
ReplyDeleteI have figured out that not everyone will stay in your life. People change. You may not like the way they have changed but it’s for the best they’re not in your life. I thought just because you’ve been friends with someone since elementary school that you’re going to be with them forever. That isn’t the case. The case is that true friends will be there at your lowest moments while having the honor of sharing your accomplishments. The friends I have met through high school have been more supportive than my ‘best friend’ I have known since third grade. On the subject of high school and people changing, people mature and realize their mistakes. The boy I hated in 5th grade is now one of my best friends because we both grew the hell up and realized how childish we were acting. Stop holding onto people who make your life toxic. Stop holding onto silly grudges from your adolescence. Sometimes holding on is more painful than letting go.
For many people, they wish their parents understood how much they stressed about school, why they react a certain way, etc. For me, I wish my parents understood that I need to go out and hang out with my friends once in awhile. I can’t stay home all day after coming from school and just be expected to do only homework and text my friends. They’ve asked me “Why do you need to go visit your friends outside of school when you get to see them during school?” I often try to explain that yeah I see my friends during school, but it’s not like i'm talking to them all day at school because of course at school I try to pay attention in class. They don’t quite understand that there’s no such thing as “girls are friends with only girls” and “boys are only friends with only boy,” especially not for me. I am friends with girls, but I honestly don’t get along with girls that well because it seems like they’re always trying to start drama and they have the dumbest reasons for hating me like over a boy or because one of their friends hate me. I get along with almost any guy and the ones I talk to are so chill and understanding, but how do I explain that to my parents when their minds have not yet advanced to the 21st century?
ReplyDeleteAt the age of 16, I have figured out many things in life. I’ve figured out that just because someone says they’re proud of you or happy for you doesn’t necessarily mean they are proud or happy for you. Someone can say the sweetest things to you and they could be wishing for nothing but disaster for you. I learned that some people will only gain happiness after you fail and they’ll do anything to make sure you don't succeed. I’ve learned that the people who said they’ll always have my back are no longer in my life because they decided to leave when things got difficult. I’ve figured out the guys who claim they really liked me didn’t really want anything but sex and I wouldn’t have meant anything more to them then another number on their body count list if I had fallen for their trap. I understand that my ego should never ruin my relationship with someone who I love more than life itself because ego really is a one hell of a drug. I learned that it’s not always at my best interest to see the good in people and sometimes it’s necessary to listen to what other people have to say. I understand that it’s alright to make decisions that don’t make everyone happy as long as i'm content with the decision I made because after all you only live once.
I think the adults in my life understand me, so it took me long time to think about what to write about. I finally thought and thought and came up with my dad not fully understanding me. He doesn’t understand my motivations or goals in life. No matter how many times I tell him what I want to do he doesn’t understand. He always thinks that he can pick what I want to do and I don’t know why he does this. My mom is the complete opposite to where I can talk to her about anything and she will understand and help me. I usually don’t get to see her that much, so I don’t really get to talk about these things, but she still understands me better than my dad. Anytime I bring up something important to my dad that he doesn’t like he will change the subject and act like it doesn’t matter. This is the reason he will never understand me. I will try to talk to him about something personal and he doesn’t want to hear it. If I can’t do this, then I will never be fully understood by him.I still love my dad because he’s a great person, but when it comes to personal stuff, he’s not the best person to talk to about it.
ReplyDeleteIn my life of only 16 years old, I know that I haven’t figured everything because there is still tons of stuff to learn. There are a few things in my life that I believe that I have figured out and one of them is how to handle my emotions. Whether it was playing baseball, in school, at home, or anywhere; I could handle my emotions. I used to let what people say make me upset, but now at 16 I have learned to ignore what bad things people have to say. It might make me mad, but I will never show it and start lashing out on them. I have figured out how to control myself and not let emotions drive my actions. If I get mad or sad, nobody will be around to see me show my emotions. There are few times now a days where someone makes me so mad, but it still does happen to everyone. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m a pretty calm guy and it takes a whole lot to make me visibly upset.
Riddle: Almost everyone needs it, asks for it, gives it, but almost nobody takes it. What is it?
ReplyDeleteAnswer: Advice
I wish adults knew that I don’t want their advice. Yes, the decision I’m about to make may be bad. Yes, there is an easier way to perform a task, but no I still don’t want your advice. I rather learn on my own especially from bad experiences. If I take your advice into consideration and listen to it, then I am missing out on an opportunity that will help me grow wiser.
In 16 years I finally learned how to stop playing chess. I’ve learned that I shouldn’t put my life on hold for somebody else that isn’t my child. I use to have tendency of putting others needs and desires above mine. I would constantly think that if I was in their situation they would do they would do the same for me. Which isn’t necessarily always the case. Majority of people are selfish and when you are a selfless person everyone in the room can see it and they will take advantage.
I wish people would understand patience and accepting when they are wrong. This would solve a ton of problems across the world and for me myself. Globally, people accepting when they are wrong would raise the sense of humility in people, forgiveness, and improve human relations (thus issuing a larger generation of peace and prosperity). On a personal level, when people misinterpret me, I only see it as a minor inconvenience and pay it no heed; however, when my own family mistreats my sleeping from mental exhaustion and a long day as laziness, that is when it gets annoying. They need to be patient and understand that with time, I can do everything I need to do, and also mix my rest and relaxation time into that. It is not very motivational, supportive, or even remotely helpful to constantly be breathing down someone's neck (mine in this case) to do things, or chastising them for "not doing the work when you got home and sleeping instead". This is one of the most annoying things for me. I'm more of a night-owl person because at night I have peace, quiet, and clarity of mind. However, what am I to do if I'm always being told to go to sleep earlier, to stop staying up late to work ("get it done earlier"), and getting yelled at when I'm up late? There are too many distractions during the day to get work done, and being around these distractions is definitely not the most motivational thing to do homework. This is why I believe patience is key in letting potential shine.
ReplyDeleteSomething I've mostly learned in life is to figure out the underlying principles in what people say and do. If I were to say that what I've learned was that "life goes on, long after the thrill of livin' is gone" how many people would understand that what I'm really saying is that I'm trying not to tell anyone of what I've actually learned (and am covering that up with a quote) because I feel that people don't fully read into text (even if they think they do) and would not understand what I have learned. Simple right? More or less, words always have underlying meanings and the same goes with body language. Learn this and you can learn people without really having to know them for a long time. And besides all of that, reading into the principles of what people say has another use. For example, when parents are yelling at their child for not walking the dog; are they really upset that their dog didn't walk the great polluted outdoors for five minutes? No, they just want their kid to be responsible and maintain responsibility for his/her actions. And finally, the last thing I've learned is that if you are ever in need of motivation, use the toxic stupidity of your fellow classmates to motivate you to do better so you can move to a nicer place far far away from them. (Not trying to say that in a better-than-you kind of way but... some of the things that people say and write make me feel as if education is wasted on them).
I am understood pretty well by most adults but I just want them to know that yes I am only 17 years old but that does not make me a child. I have grown up and have taken many responsibilities by myself. Age does not make you an adult. Responsibility, independence, and character does. I know plenty of adults that are absolute children. They might be a lot older but they still act like children. It gets me so made when someone treats me like a child. I like to pride myself that I try to be mature and behave as a mature responsible young adult. But even some teachers or adults treat us like kids. Now some people should be treated as kids. But there is a populace of students and teenagers that are able to handle being treated like and adult. I guess over all I just don’t liked to be babied. All I ask is to be treated as an adult. I will be 18 this week and hopefully this will be understood which I am by most but for those who don’t.
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot in my practically 18 years by myself and by others. I know I am not even a quarter of the way through my life but I like to think I know something about life. Everyone is give one life and with that you are given a time limit. All ways take opportunities to learn and listen. Keep an open mind because everyone is different and everyone has been through stuff that you yourself can learn from. Find Something you believe in and live it like you do. Morals help keep us together and you have to have them to stick by them. You can only truly depend on yourself so be careful who you trust. Life is short so don’t waste time. Always have a plan and peruse. There are no limits because the only limits you have are the limits you make for yourself. You are the container. You cannot be contained. The container cannot be contained. So live life and be thankful you have it and know tomorrow is never guaranteed.
I wish...my mother and father knew that I am constantly trying to please them. I do not know if it is because I have the “middle child syndrome”, but I often do feel neglected from my parents. Ever since I was little, I always felt distant from my parents. My mother had my older sister to depend on and go shopping with, my father had my little brother to hang out and have fun with. Because I live in a household of six, I used to be very attach to my grandmother since I thought my parents did not need me, however, I still tried to get their attention. I tried to become the perfect daughter every child would feel jealous of and every parent would envy. I was ladylike, gentle, polite, and mature. I strived for good grades, did not complain when told to carry out tasks, and practiced embroidery, drawing, and painting. But even with all that, I still was not able to get them to turn my way. All I wanted was for them to hang out with me, praise me for my accomplishments, and have long discussions where time flies without either of us noticing. It was not until I stepped into high school that my parents began to notice me. I felt like there was finally meaning to my existence. They started to pay attention to me more, praised me when I got good grades, and I often got to hang out with them, but even with all that, something did not feel right. To this day, I feel like my parents do not know me well, that they do not know I am trying to become a daughter they are proud of, but along the way, I somehow figured out that it was because I was so caught up in trying to please them that eventually I did not get to know my parents well enough either.
ReplyDeleteI neglected them too...
At the age of 17, I have figured out that it is best to do the things we want to do at the moment we want to do them. Life can slip away at any time, at any place. We are often preoccupied with work and school that we tell ourselves we cannot wait to take a break to rest our old bones and tired minds. But these things cannot wait. Within a blink of an eye, we could be college students, parents, grandparents, and soon enough, we would lose the opportunity to do the things we so longingly wanted to do. Do not be afraid to take a breather from work or school. Give yourself sometime to relax and feel the world slow down around you. At this era, everything is speeding by so quickly that it can hook us along without us ever realizing. This is something I need to remind myself from time to time as well.
Most of the time, if there is something I want a person to understand, I make it a point to get them to understand. I do not take things lying down, and will always keep on arguing until they quit or our relationship is trashed. Usually it doesn’t get to that point though. I am very animated, and an open book. I am vocal about my thoughts, and I have a burning desire to share them. However, when it comes to adults, everything changes. I can never explain anything to them. I always end up silent whenever they say I am wrong. I get nervous, even when I am right. I do not know if this is respect or cowardice, but it’s a thing. I wish adults understood that I do care about a lot things. I do not know why, but I come off as indifferent and in some cases, insensitive. I’ve been told I have a cavalier attitude (Okay they didn’t say cavalier, but it means carefree), and it has gotten me in trouble. I do care a lot, though, and it’s just my natural disposition.
ReplyDeleteI am still young. I am still learning. I know there is still much for me to learn, and I should not be too quick to make claims. I know that life in general is different, and complicated. Everyone’s life is different, even a twin’s life is different. People feel about certain things differently due to their experiences in life, and we should all learn to respect that. My life has been great. I’m lucky to be where I am. I know that I am lazy, and that without anyone pushing me, I would not go anywhere. It sucks, but since I know that, and acknowledge it, I am sure I will improve.
ReplyDelete“This isn’t your life, stop trying to make it yours!”
What I have no fear in saying, but don’t feel like getting a two hour lecture for saying it. A two hour lecture from adults that shall not be named. A lecture that would only make me want to roll my eyes, which would make it even longer. A lecture given to me because I am a “stupid teenager who doesn’t understand the value of anything.”
What I am specifically talking about is college. I am at the point where I need to start thinking about where I want to go and all that jazz. But it already seems that my future was planned out for me without me even knowing! I wish that “they” would understand that this is my future, I can do what I want and go to whatever college I want to. They don’t understand that I’ve looked up several colleges and just general requirements for what I plan on doing later in life. That I need to take certain courses each and every year all four years that I am attending college. But of course I’m wrong, right? That makes sense of course! They don’t understand that I can’t just jump from college to college because the price is convenient for them. I can’t just go to ACCC for two years and jump to another school for two more. Not with what I want to do, and I don’t want to do that anyway, I wish they would understand. I wish they would understand that I might not be living at home while I’m in college, that maybe just for a new experience I want to go somewhere else. That I’m leaving, and they’ll only see me on holidays or when I have time to visit. That I do understand the circumstances and I’m very aware. This is my life and I’m going to conquer anything and everything because this is my life, my future! Boy oh boy, I wish they’d understand…
Being sixteen, younger than most of my friends and peers, I feel as if I’ve gone through a lot more, gone through things that no one at my age should have to have already experienced. I’ve learned that not everything gets better. Some things won’t ever resolve into a smile, some pain will never leave your side. You have to accept that, and I have. These past sixteen years, I’ve lost my Great-Grandmother, Grandfather, Father, Grandmother, Cousin, Aunt, two dogs I loved to death and quite a few other people I’m not even related to. This feeling of heartache never under any circumstances goes away. It doesn’t get easier to cope with, it’s like everyone around you is happy and smiling and there’s an imaginary raincloud raining on your happiness that’ll never go away.
I learned that not everything gets better but I’ve also learned that life goes on, no matter what. My favorite quote of all time: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on,” Robert Frost. You can feel like you’re six feet under, but life will go on. Things might not get better, but life goes on. Someone’s life might end, but you still have to continue yours. This is one of the most valuable lessons I could ever stumble upon. I think that is a life lesson everyone needs to learn.
This is going to refer to any adult in my life. I wish they understood me. Yes, I know that’s a very broad statement to make, but I don’t believe any of the adults in my life understand me. Of course they know me, they’re mostly family they’ve known me since birth but they don’t understand me. They don’t understand that I’m constantly walking around with pain in my heart and I surround myself with negative thoughts. My grandmother said something to me the other day that made me miss being younger. She said “You used to smile so much more when you were little.” and that killed me to hear. There was so much truth in her statement. They don’t understand that something hit me during my freshman year, depression. I wish they understood my depression and how it affects me. I lose all motivation to do everything and anything, and am overwhelmed with thousands of negative thoughts that make it all the more worse. If they understood my depression they’d understand how hard it is to stay positive and how much I want people to be positive with me. If the adults in my life tried with me to be positive then that would help significantly. If they knew how much a positive attitude has an affect on me maybe my world would be an even brighter place.
ReplyDeleteAt the age of 17 going on 18 in less than a month I can honestly tell you one thing I’ve learned from life and it's to live life to the fullest. Wake up with a positive attitude and continue to look at everything with the intention of all things good. Yes everyone has their bad days but don’t turn those bad days into bad weeks, and to not turn bad moments into bad days. I learned that after the rain comes a rainbow. I learned that in order to live a happy life I need to keep a positive look on everything. If I sit around and dwell in my sadness then I'll miss out on the good things in life. I learned to take life one day at a time and be forever grateful for the people in my life whether or not they're good to me or bad to me. I learned to love life and treat it as a gift because I only get one.
I wish the adults in my life would understand that I am 100% my own unique, and individual person. I do things how I want, when I want, and I absolutely hate being told that what I’m doing is wrong, when in reality, there is no ¨wrong¨ way to do it, it’s just not their preferred way. I completely understand that they all want nothing but the best for me, but as of right now, I genuinely believe that I’m the only person who knows what´s best for me. I think it’s something that’s difficult for any adult to understand about their child, and maybe I´m completely wrong and I should just listen to them, and stop being so stubborn, but that’s another thing I wish they would understand. I´m okay with making mistakes, and learning from them afterwards. Everyone makes mistakes, every single day, and my parents freak out at the fact that I’m doing something wrong, without remembering that I’m not an idiot, and I will eventually learn from it.
ReplyDeleteHaving been in this world for almost 17 years, one thing I’ve learned is that people come and go, and that’s okay. The people who are meant to stay in your life will stay, and the temporary people will either be a lesson, or just someone you drifted from. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and you just have to keep going no matter how difficult it may be.
Throughout the 16 years of my life I've learned a lot about myself along with human tendency. By far the most important lesson I've learned is to trust no one. Yes, we all meet people in our lives that do nice things but is all of it truly out of the kindness of their hearts? Most people do things for others only to benefit themselves in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI've encountered many people throughout my life that have treated me with nothing but kindness. I quickly found out by trial and error that these same people were only acting on their hidden agendas. People will tell you they love you and even make you feel special, but the second you become inconvenient to them things will suddenly change. So suddenly that within the blink of an eye, that person will only be part of a memory.
It is okay to have significant others but it's important to be skeptical about what you believe. I had a best friend that i loved as a brother. No matter what problems occurred we were always there for eachother. When he was home sick I was the one bringing him food or making sure he was okay. When I was down, he was the one reminding me how talented and special I am. It was the closest that I'd ever been to a relationship. My parents accepted him as part of my family. Until , he left me. He finally started to fit in and have friends like everyone else, so he left. He no longer needed me, so he left me. It was so subtle but yet it still hurt me so bad. As I mature I'm beginning to realize that I can't blame the fall out on him. I believed everything he said. I believed him when he told me he loved me. I believed him when he told me he cared.I blame myself for putting my trust in a human.
Although my dad is my biggest supporter he is also my biggest critic. My dad is one of the few people that I can confidently say loves me. There are three people in my life that I trust , and my dad is one of them. I love my dad and appreciate his good intentions, but I wish he knew how much he stresses me out. He wants the best out of me in every aspect of life. Sometimes even my best isn't enough. While most parents are congratulating their kid, my dad is critiquing me.
I know his intentions are good. He doesn't want me to fall or get distracted by someone or something that doesn't have the same high expectations. He believes that with his support and love that I should be able to make all my dreams come true. He knows that "you are what you believe you are" and therefore Instills in me that I am better than most and worthy of great things in life. I appreciate everything that he has given me, I just wish he knew that I got this. I don't know it all but I know what's at stake. My happiness and my life. I will try to make him proud without the constant reminders.
I wish I could tell my dad that I have a healthy self esteem and that I know the value of being a strong woman, without him being so hard on me. One day he will know without a doubt that I have and will always have high moral standards and respectable values all because of him.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is a very understanding woman. She gets that school isn’t the most important thing to me, she knows when my ‘friends’ aren’t my real friends. I guess it must be a motherly instinct. If there is one thing I would have to say that my mom, nor my dad (but mostly my mom), is some of my anger and some of my anxiety. For me everyday is either a good day or a bad day. On bad days I prefer not to talk to anyone and I just want to be in my room listening to music. I don’t think my mom understands this. Every bad day when I get in the car I say, “hi” and turn the radio up. For me music is my escape from literally everything. When there is music in my head everything else disappears. Immediately her first question is, “What’s wrong?” in a very concerned voice. I always reply with nothing because the thing is, it’s usually nothing. I guess this is where my anxiety comes in a little big because it occasionally just makes me very mad at everything in the world. Now the situation escalates a little bit when she asks what is wrong, but even more when EVERY SINGLE TIME she asks, “What did I do?!”. This question especially pushes me off the edge because it’s never her fault. I say nothing every time but she comes back right away with, “Well than why are you taking it out on me.”. This just makes me beyond mad because I wish she would understand that she never did anything and no one specifically did anything wrong. I tell her multiple times that if she did something wrong I would discuss it with her but the car ride home from practice usually ends with me in my room blaring music.
I decided to start a new paragraph for this question because it doesn’t relate to my first answer at all. Now I think I’ve found something very important so brace yourself for this : I believe I’ve figured out my key to happiness. I think there’s a lot of things I’ve realized at a young age. Maybe that’s why all my friends are older than me. I know at my age that school is not the most important thing in my life because it doesn’t even take up a third of my life. I also know at my age that the only thing stopping you from being happy is you. I always give people the challenge to only do things that make them happy. That’s the first step to living the best life, in my opinion. Also you need to understand that honestly you are the most important thing in this world. In my world I’m the most important. You are living this life so you are the most important and you need to make it what you want it. I could go on for ages because there are so many things I learned last year about life and myself and how to be happy. Right now I’m on a roller coaster up and down but trust me when the roller coaster just goes straight I believe I will be the happiest person in the world. (If you want to learn more about where I’m coming from in a lot of this I highly suggest the book The Happiness Equation, by far best book I’ve ever read. Also I started writing guidelines about how to be happy and I think I might write some more steps to happiness soon. Thanks for the inspo Bunj. Also this is my favorite blog post so far.) Now go out there and be happy.
My first OP that I wrote for Ap lang really describes what I wish people thought and tried to know about me. I would love for my parents and teachers to realize that I do care. My mom doesn't think I care about anything when it comes to school. My actions do not perceive the way I feel about certain things. I’m a very caring person. I feel like If adults knew how I really felt about the way I care for school it would help build a stronger relationship. I care about many things. That adults realize. Football and poker. I can talk about them forever. But with this excessive talking, adults seem to think that I care for nothing else; and that I am not affectionate or respectful. When I was watching football today, my mom is the one who will ask, “did you do your homework”, and I will say, “No, I am going to get to it right after this game.” She will then go on freakout mode and tell me to do it right now and say I don’t care about school and all I care about is football. But I get it done. And I do care for my work. I continuously stress over school. If adults didn't find my hobbies like football and poker so blinding, I would be looked at as a kid who cares about nothing. I just wish They could know more about how I feel about it, and not worry for me.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my life there has been many things I have sort of “caught on too”. I have learned that in a society with humans, teenagers are not allowed to give the same insight as adults. Younger people are viewed as if they are not justified to be saying the correct thing. I find as I grow older and older that I still get this treatment. Even though you know more about that certain situation. A great example is when someone is talking about some famous athlete, and they don’t know what sport they even play. Then when you correct them they are so quick to say that this is an adult conversation. I have figured out that age has a lot bound to it. With “adulthood” comes respect. I don’t really agree with it. But what I learned is to keep grinding towards a point, no matter what age, what goal, or what size you achieve.
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ReplyDeleteMy brother and sister never did really good in school. They both got C’s and D’s their first two years of high school. I remember the screaming and fighting that would happen every time my dad opened the grade book online. I would have my sister crying in my bed because she thought our father was so disappointed in her and my brother getting extremely angry because he didn't feel good enough. My dad has always had such high expectations and wants nothing but the best for me and my future. He would make comments like “you're my only hope for an honors society kid” or “yeah you got 5 A’s but what happened to the other 4 grades”. He's always been fair to me but is always extremely strict about my high school performance. I want my dad to understand that I'm not going to be the perfect straight “A” student he wants me to be. I've never been amazing with school, just better than my siblings were which gave my father this false hope that I'm going to have these amazing grades. Once he saw that I had potential to be better in school he started to push me hard to be the really smart kid he wanted. Now don't get me wrong, my dad loves me and all my siblings more than anything in the world and that won't change over some C’s aren't going to change that, but I wish I didn't feel like a disappointment when I come back home to him without an award winning paper or a 100% on my math test. So far I've found out that in life you're not going to be completely perfect in everything that you do. I know I may not be able to reach the goals the my dad set for me but I've become okay with that over time. You can't live your life trying make other people proud. Of course you should always try your best to meet your full potential in life but if your best isn't good enough for other people, screw them. As long as you try your hardest then whatever comes out of it is okay.
ReplyDeleteI wish the adults in my life understood that I can't always be the strong one and that I'm just 17. At a young age I was told that I needed to be strong for my family. I put on a brave face for my mom. I remember crying myself to sleep but covering my mouth so no one would hear me. I couldn't break down because then my mom would and my brother would follow. All my life I've been expected to act 10 years older than I actually am. I constantly get told “You're more mature than kids your age”. This seems to be the excuse adults in my life use to justify putting me in situations where I have to be an adult. The worst part about it is when I meet their standards they tell me I'm out of line and that I'm just a kid. I'd like to tell those people to make up their minds. Because of my past I'm expected to be able to handle situations most 17 year olds can't. All the things in my past have made me stronger but I wish I wasn't labeled “the strong one” of the family. Due to that title I'm expected to be okay at all times. No one really checks up on me or thinks anything of it when I'm sad because “I'm the strong one and I'll be fine”. Yet when my brother or mother aren't their usual selves I'm the first one to check up on them. I wish they understood that I'm human and I cry. That I can't handle everything alone. That even though I've gotten really good at pretending and hiding what's really going on not everything is what it seems.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've figured out about life is that people are temporary. The same people who were in my life 5 years ago aren't in my life now. It's something I struggled with but I've finally accepted the fact that people leave. I use to think that I did something wrong and spend so much time wondering what I did for a person to just up and leave without giving me a reason. It taught me to not rely on others. Some people might see that as a bad thing but I see it as a blessing. It has helped me become an independent person. I've also learned that sometimes you have to let people go. That as I grow as a person not everyone will grow along side me.
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ReplyDeleteI wish my parents understood or knew how I work with school. They consistently bug me about studying and doing my homework but they don't realize that the more they tell me to do something, the more I don't want to do it. They think that everyone learns the same way so they tell me to constantly hit the books and study, but in reality, I don't learn that way. In a blog post in AP Lang, I ironically don't enjoy reading out of books, or reading for long amounts of time in general. To be completely honest, the longest time I will read at one time is probably thirty minutes, anything over I won't understand anything anymore. To put it into simpler terms, I just wish my parents trusted me with my learning. I wish that they knew that I actually want to succeed in life so they could just stop bothering me and making me hate studying.
ReplyDeleteAt the age of 16, I honestly think I've figured lots of stuff about life. There are many small lessons that you learn throughout life that you have to take with you. If I had to pick one significant thing that I have figured out about life, it's that you have to pick and choose very carefully when you talk. And when you do decide that it's the right time to talk, you have another very careful decision. You have to know exactly what to say when you decide to talk because if you say something wrongly, it can really come back to haunt you. This lesson is a very hard one to understand and actually utilize. I myself can tell you this lesson and why and how it's important, but I honestly can't utilize it yet. I find myself saying the dumbest things and when I'm quiet, I usually should be loud. For example, when a teacher's asking for an answer, I should raise my hand but I usually keep it to myself. And times when I decide to speak and say something wrongly… there are too many examples to even count. It's something I'm working on and it's a skill that's extremely necessary to life.
I wish my parents put themselves in my shoes sometimes. They think the world today is just like how it was 30 years ago. The past 30 years a lot has changed. My parents don’t understand what technology has done to kids when it comes to their social lives. They don’t understand that all communication works behind a screen nowadays. The world shouldn’t work that way, but that’s just how it is. Girls don’t have the courage to argue with another girl face to face. Guys don’t have the courage to flirt with girls in person. It bothers me that they can’t relate to the kind of world I live in. I try my hardest to explain to them what is considered normal today but they never understand.
ReplyDeleteBeing only 16 years old, I feel like I’ve learned a lot of life. One thing that sticks out to me about life is that everything is temporary, including life itself. Everything in life you’re going to lose eventually whether it’s an object, a person, etc. and there’s nothing you can do about it. I have lost many things in my life: friends, relatives, money, jewelry, toys. But learning that everything is temporary also taught me that you can’t trust something to be there when you need it. This especially refers to friends. There have been multiple times where I have put too much trust into one person. It has come to a point to where I am afraid to trust anybody besides myself and I am only 16 years old. Take a moment to realize that I am 16 years old with really bad trust issues. Life is not only temporary, but unpredictable.
As we know, all teenagers demand freedom, they dream about getting a car so they can drive with no limits and no supervision from their parents. They dream about college so they can life on their own with no rules from mom and dad. I have similar dreams. I wish for freedom, but it's much more than that. I wish my parents understood that I am my own person, who should be able to chase what I love. I love my mom more than anything, but sometimes I feel as though when she looks at me, all she can see is a toddler, A toddler under her close watch at all times. I wish she could see me for who I really am, maybe not a responsible adult yet, but at least a responsible teenager. She treats me as though I don't know what I want in life, but doesn't give me enough slack on the leash to at least test out my interests.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is rather annoying that she treats me like a 5 year old, I get where she's coming from. It's hard to watch your child grow up so fast, almost in the blink of an eye. I doubt that even when I am in my twenties and attending college she will see me as nothing but her little boy. But I can live with that mostly because I know she is only her to help me and do what’s best. I just with sometime she would understand that I’m living my own life, understand that i am capable of making decision for myself and chase what I love. I wish she understood that I cannot life MY life if I’m living her dreams. But most of all I wish she could understand that even though I’m not living the life she wants me to, I still love her with all my heart.
My entire life I’ve been the underdog, but I’ve made it. Some of my coaches and teachers who don’t know me personally, don’t realize I’ve had to fight tooth and nail for everything I have. I stick to my guns and I never back down, and I always follow through and get done what I have to do, but I promise you it won’t be clean. I wish they would trust me. Believe me when I say I can do things, but it’s okay if they don’t. I’ve been proving people wrong for 16 years, and I don’t plan to stop. It’s kind of my thing. Throughout my life, I’ve learned one main thing. Don’t ever, ever quit. Don’t let anybody tell you what you can or cannot do. You control your life, and you must utilize that gift. You have to fight and work for your dreams, and if you’re not dream chasing, you aren’t living life to the fullest. Embrace the struggle and enjoy the journey. It’s usually better than the result.
ReplyDeleteNumbers are everything to my parents. My mom, especially, is always trying to find a way to show about her kids. In our little group of family friends, compared to the three kids other than my brother and I, it seems like we’re the smartest out of the five. We’re both in the top five of our class, while they’re in the hundreds. But, those grades were from schools in Hamilton Township and my friends go to EHT High School, which is way bigger and academically better/harder, so you can’t really compare it. My mom doesn’t seem to get this though and continues to passively rub it in their faces. I want both of my parents to understand that I don’t really care about this.
ReplyDeleteI also want them to know that I will never be perfect in their eyes. They want me to be in the top of my class, so I can get into one of the top ranked schools and get a high paying job. That means I should be studying 24/7 and in my spare time only join clubs/activities that will only benefit me for college. Therefore, I shouldn’t do marching band because “it’s a waste of time” and why does it have to be four days a week and I won’t get a scholarship for being in it for four years. That also means I shouldn’t do any volunteer work because it won’t benefit me, but why can’t I do it out of the goodness of my heart and why don’t you just let me have some fun. The only thing they’ll support is anything that has to do with education. You want to take the SATs ten times? Sure, I’ll pay for it. You want to get a job during the winter when you have nothing to do? No you can’t work what are you thinking you should be studying (at least, that’s what my dad thinks; I’m still getting one anyway).
They say you should be happy that you’re a teenager because you don’t have any real responsibilities and they miss their teenage years. I know my parents are looking out for my future, but I don’t want to be constantly looking forward. I want to live in the moment and actually have fun. I don’t care about the money as long as I’m surviving and happy.
I’ve learned that connections are key. If you need any type of support, you have to go out and find it if it’s not around instead of just sitting there. I have so many ideas, but no where to pitch them because I don’t know a lot of people. It’s also hard to fundraise in my family because my parents’ work friends surely aren’t going to be spending their money when they can barely pay their bills with so many people getting cut from the casinos. Our Vietnamese friends/family are pretty cheap, so they won’t either. As I’m able to go out more, I can get more experience and meet more people (my least favorite thing to do). It’ll be hard, but once I start networking, it’ll pay off later when I need it the most.
There are many things that I wish my parents understood about me, but I have decided to choose two. I wholeheartedly wish that my parents knew that I do think about them and that I do realize the way they suffer for my siblings and I. I’m not completely heartless that I don’t realize and I do try to help sometimes, but my mother constantly speaks about how we don’t love them, or how we don’t care about them or their well-being and it makes me want to say it isn’t true, but my mother isn’t one to be interrupted and when she is done speaking it usually means the conversation is over.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is that I wish they understood that school is much more exhausting, both physically and mentally, than they believe it to be and that it does take time to do homework. If I come home and say that I am tired my mother ask what I have done to make me so tired. And when I take a long time to do my homework, my mother always gets mad at me for staying up late to do homework or sleeping right after I get home from school. Waking up at 5 and having to sit around and be somewhere I do not wish to be can be mentally and physically draining. Also, the homework that I receive is meant to be hard so it does take time to finish it but my mother still believes what my lower-level elementary school teachers told her during conferences. “It should only take a student about an hour to do their homework.” And despite knowing that I am in AP and honors classes, she says this to me constantly.
There is still so much to learn about the world at any age, especially mine. But what I do know is the basics: what I need to somewhat survive in this world.
-Beware who you trust: Not everyone in the world is the kindest person or willing to listen to the angel on their shoulder.
-Try to avoid greed: Greed will make you do things unimaginable.
-Keep select people close to you that you know you van ultimately trust: 90% of the people you consider ‘friends’ are not your friends.
-Aspire to be wise not intelligent: they are two different things.
-Treat others they way you wish to be treated.
-Death is inevitable and we do not get a second chance: We are all going to die, so choose wisely what you do in the time you have.
Honestly, I am not the type of person who can be easily read. One thing about me is that you will never know if I’m happy or even upset. It’s weird and unusual but the expression on my face doesn’t always fit my current mood. I can be extremely happy at the moment, but will have the straightest or even meanest look on my face. My mom constantly speaks on how she feels as though that I am not happy and that’s not true. Therefore, if there was one thing I would like my mom or even another adult in my life to understand about me is that I am a happy person. No matter what type of facial expression that is on my face I am most likely in a great mood. I don’t know why I automatically have a straight face as an expression but It’s something that I try to work on. I wish my mom knew that just because I might look as if I do, I don’t ALWAYS have an attitude.
ReplyDeleteAt the age of 16, I have learned that life will NEVER be easy. As much as I tried to believe that It will someday get easier, I realized that It won’t. In fact, life will always get harder and harder as you grow up. Therefore, I feel as though that you should cherish every moment of your life. No matter what, make sure you are always laughing or even have a smile on your face because life is too short. There’s no point in stressing yourself out over things that you can’t change. If you just go with the flow, you will always feel better. I honestly tell myself this everyday especially when I’m feeling down or overwhelmed. Another thing that I realized about life is that everyone in your life is extremely temporary. For the 16 years that I have been existent, there is not one person who has remained in my life for more than 5 years, besides my family. I have learned how to not attach myself to anyone because nothing last.
Do you ever wish an adult in your life could see how much something meant to you or felt the same way you do about a certain thing? I do, and I wish my parents knew how much I love sports and push me to the max to help me get to that next level I've always wanted to get to instead of just sitting back and hoping my coaches lead me in the right directions. I wish my dad would wake me up early on weekends to help me train, I wish my parents came to my games, I wish they just believed in my athletics like they believe in my school work. I feel as if my parents knew how much these things would mean to me and help me play better for them I would love sports even more than I already do. But now as a junior in high school I feel like it might be a little too late for them to have an affect on me, if they started to do some of the things I mentioned. Living in 2016 as a teen I don't think there's much things people my age feel like they've figured out about their life or life in general, but I feel like I have figured out a small portion of it. I've realized life isn't fair and it never will be, I've realized people are out to get me just because the color of my skin, I've realized that people can be assholes, but I've also realized that to block out all of the negativity that America brings I have to stay positive throughout every situation because if not my life can be taken and there's nothing I can do about it. Im defenseless in most circumstances and if I live through the experience I might rather to be dead anyway. So basically I've realized life's a bitch and there's nothing I can do about it.
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ReplyDeleteThere are many things that I really want my parents to understand, but a major one would be that they create unnecessary stress for me every day. They are the main reason why I am already sprouting gray hairs! My parents would always have the need to yell at me whenever I am not studying. Always saying what would happen if my grades are not what they expected; they would confiscate my electronics, not allow me to socialize with my friends, and quit all after school activities. I am always being overwhelmed by these threats which then leads me to be stress about my grades. Another way they cause unnecessary stress is by enforcing their beliefs on how their children should be; I am not their version of the perfect child so they always scold me for not doing what they expected. They expect me to do all of the cleaning for them with my sister, but now that I have a lot of after-school activities and marching band things, they are always on my case for not having time to do any housework. If I fail to do something at home due to time constraints from homework too, they yell at me for not doing anything around the house, which often leads to me getting grounded. And if my sister does it alone, they get mad at me still for not helping her, especially when I am not even home for more than half of the day. They, especially my mother, force me to somehow juggle between homework, band, and the daily cleaning. And whenever I do successfully do all of the housework, my mother turns a blind eye towards it and continues to complain about how I do nothing, but goes to praise my sister for doing one thing. They stress me not only for grades but also for housework and trying to be their “ideal” son. I want them to understand the amount of stress they put me through every day of every month of every year of my life.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I had learned about life is that no one is fully trustworthy. Anyone, including your friends, can easily stab you in the back; whether it is family or friends. There is no one that you can trust completely. Betrayal is something that should be expected. My life was full of them. Most of them happened when I was younger too; the main cause was because people took advantage of my shy and kind personality. I remember that most of my friends back then were only talking to me only because they wanted to copy my homework. Some later told me to stop talking to them just because of some petty reasons. I remember when one of my cousins told me to stop interacting with him in either elementary or middle school because I was not popular enough. I remember when my friends and family point me out as the scapegoat for their wrong doings and I receive the consequences for it due to lacking evidence. Overall, people will take advantage of you and betray you in the end if you put trust in them or seen as a really nice person.
People always say to listen to your elders, but sometimes I wonder if as people grow older if they actually start to lose a sense of what life is really about. I wonder if that as they grow older they lose some of their sense of reality and are formed into more of a mold of what others think they should be. As you get older you are expected of more and become more of this mold of what society thinks you should be. I wish that my mom would realize that it's ok to sometimes just have no care in the world and have a good time. She is the type to get tense over everything and once the plan gets thrown off she tends to panic and get stressed. I wish she would just go with the flow sometimes and allow events to take place and not be stressed over it.
ReplyDeleteAt the very old age of 16 (kidding) I have yet to figure out everything about life, but one thing that I have figured out about life is the fact that life is what you make it. I once read that when elders were asked on their deathbed what was their biggest regret was that they didn't take advantage of the fun times they had and were too stressed about things that they couldn't change. That to me told me that even when shit hits the fan, make the best of the moment and allow yourself to find the fun in everything. There are things in your life that you can’t change, and their is no reason to stress over those.
I wish my parents could understand my perspectives on certain things I do and respect my feelings by putting themselves in my place, actually listening to what I say.
ReplyDeleteBasically, my parents control me and often prevent me from doing what I want that is considered fun, like the time I was forced to quit band, something I loved and simply performed solely for the passion in my spare time. I know parents are there to discipline us, but tell me why I am not allowed to go to football games, homecoming dances or other school events? The one answer they have for that is that I need to stay home and study and get all high As to get into Princeton.
My parents expect me to be perfect. It is possible to earn all 100s, but it requires so much effort, and no one is perfect. They need to learn that just because I do not do that does not mean that I am lazy and am careless about school. The other issue is that they do not understand me when things are difficult. In essence, they think this is reality for me. I am not the teenager who can easily run to their parents whenever they are facing an issue, and the fact is, they will not care and just expect me to deal with it. I have made mistakes. Sometimes things become arduous, and my grades are not perfect, but this is one of the things they pressure me on for me to try and get their approval. My parents do not come to the realization that they significantly influenced my wounded self-esteem, simply crushed because of their words (Example:)
“You got a B? You got a C? You are so lazy! All you ever do is go on your phone! Why can’t you do anything correctly? Why are you so stupid? You don't know anything!”
At times like that, I wish they knew that I do work hard, and staying up late to finish homework is not always procrastination, but exactly the amount of work I need to do. What they did not know is that at the time, I suffered from being depressed and other issues, and it took a toll on my grades.
The problem is that if they say something such as this example that offends me, I cannot talk back to them because I am being “disrespectful” and they deserve all the authority, not me. If I talk back, instead of listening to me, they regard it as having a bad attitude regardless of I expressing the matter calmly and rationally, and that results in trouble. After the discipline comes the vexatious three-hour lectures from them about disrespect. They need to understand that I am not in kindergarten anymore, and if I hear something from them that I know is wrong or insulting, I have the right and the voice to respectfully defend myself. Due to this, I can never tell my parents about life at school without it involving some academic achievement of the day if they bother asking. They will ask, “How is school?”, and I would reply “fine” and top it off with “I love physics!” where I realistically force myself to grasp all the concepts of the material because when they were in school, they were “first in their classes”.
Now, do not get me wrong; I absolutely love my parents. I am grateful that I have them to raise me into a moral teen, and I know that they set high standards for me to drive me to be successful, but I just wish they can understand that I try. I understand this about them, and I wish in return, they would understand this about me.
My sixteen years on Earth have actually taught me many things about life so far. I learned that it is not worth it to live life in fear, because it leads to regrets in the long run. I learned that certain people might try to bring you down, but you must recall who you are, your worth, and your capability. I figured it is worth it to work hard for what I want and believe I can achieve anything I put my mind to. I learned to cherish everything and help others. I learned that things in this world can get you in a bad mood, but it is important to remember to have hope and stand for what is right.
What do I wish from adults? Their utmost loyalty to me. Jokes aside, what I really wish from adults is patience. Just like any Asian child, I have my parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents expect the best from me. My grandpa especially looks for results. Strolling through Facebook or looking through the news where he spots a child prodigy on the headlines, he tells me to work hard to be like him/her. To be frank, I can’t do that. Some people are blessed with natural talent. I’m not one of those people. In my own time, I would do just as well or close enough to a child prodigy to make my family proud somewhere in the near future. For now, I wish to live my high school life free from the dog eat dog world just to prove yourself to the world.
ReplyDeleteAt the young age of 16, I feel so young. Most people in my grade are already heading to 17 years in a couple of months. I have until summer. I’m pretty sure all these oldies know more about life than me but I have my own ideas about life. I have enough gray hair to prove I already have some wisdom and I’m sure to gain more as I grow. With my wisdom, I have found life to be opaque. Nothing is clear. We can’t see what is at the end of the road. Each path we take has its risk and whether it ends for good or for bad we know not. In life’s journey, we can only go in blindly and do our best against all odds.
I believe there’s a reason behind every choice we make. People make choices based on different factors in their life, and everyone is different. Some people don’t care about others’ opinions, so they make decisions based on their own preference and happiness. Others are dependent on what their friends say or do, and that’s how they form their own decisions. Personally, I do everything with my mother in mind. I want to make her happy, and I want to make her proud of me. With that being said, I wish she knew that. I wish she understood that all I want is for her to smile and say, “Good job” to me. I wish she understood that I don’t do things because I’m selfish and I don’t think about anyone else. I wish she knew that before every marching band show when I’m waiting behind a prop, I say to myself, “Do this for my Mom. Play, act, and march your best for her. You know she’s watching, make her smile.” I want every song I write to get her approval and for her to be proud of me that I was creative and followed my passion. I want her to be proud that I’m a good person and know right from wrong. I want her to know that for every concert, I face her because I know I’ll do my best in order to make her smile. Similarly, with every decision I make for my future, I just want her to know that I have her in the back of my mind and heart. I can’t thank her enough for raising me to be a wise, hard-working, dedicated person, so I strive to make every decision with the amazing skills she has established in me. I wish she understood how much she means to me.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, what I have learned about life is that you need to find your own path, find what you are passionate about and stick with it. Hold it with you no matter where you go, who you meet, or what you become. For me it will always be music. Music is in my heart and it is more than a passion for me, it’s my life. My mom could tell I love music from when I was 3 years old and I would sing to Britney Spears’ “Toxic” in the car ALL THE TIME. Similarly, unlike normal kids who played with toys, I had a walkman that I was glued to my hip 24/7. Now, I moved on to my Ipod which contains my 2,000 songs and is normally playing through half the day - yes even when I sleep. Additionally, I have this drive inside of me to create my own music, to listen to endless amounts of songs, and to learn every instrument I can get my gigantic hands on. Numerous people have told me that when they see/listen to me play, I’m just one with the music, that I show all my emotions, and that I connect to the song like they’ve never seen before. And they’re right, but I just don’t know where it comes from. It’s that natural characteristic inside of me. At the end of the day, I believe that there is that feeling inside of most people, even if you haven’t found your forte yet (music pun). But once you find it, you should hold onto it forever and that’s what makes for a happy life. I know that I will be playing music all my life- probably until I die, and I will always listen to my favorite songs and eventually find new songs that I enjoy. But that’s what makes my life so exciting and that’s what gives me the energy to keep going.
The thing that makes understanding me or my rationale behind my decisions so difficult is because, I never inform people before I do them. I like to live my life in a more enigmatic way. In my opinion people just talk entirely too much. For instance, if you want a more ostentation car don't boast about it before you even get it. Just go get it and let the looks of the car speak for itself. You want a new job don't dwell and complain about the one you have now. Don't speak negativity in the atmosphere if you don't have. As a collaborative whole do less talking and more action. Most of the times we express our dreams and desires to people and they shoot them down. People have such a provincial mindset they don't even imagine that certain dreams are obtainable because, they feel as though that's a goal they wouldn't be able to accomplish. People stress the reasons why they do things to avoid criticism or to prove something to people.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my life I realized that a persons word is worth about as much as a penny. Practically nothing at all and most of the time won't even get acknowledged. If your word could be money it would be a penny and your actions would be a hundred dollar bill. The comparison can't even be made for the simple fact that people can say one thing and do another. You can't ever rely on a persons word alone. Someone can tell you they'll never cheat on you. Then, turn around and kiss someone else the next day. Just because, they told you they wouldn't they just demonstrated to you that they were capable of it.
My whole life people that are close to me have given me their word and disappointed me. When someone gives you their word about something in particular you hold them to that standard you have expectations that they will do what they told you they would. I grew up just despising disappointment and now I don't put anyone or what they say they will do on a pedestal. If learned one major key as I grow older. Its that you should expect people to do bullshit now days and if they don't you should see it as a surprise. My grandma never understands why I don't like people being in my business and knowing what potential accomplishments I may have. Because, If I say I'm going to do something I don't believe in taking peoples word so I don't think they should place mines on a pedestal either. That way I avoid disappointing anyone. I avoid the "Oh I thought you were going to do this what happened?" Nothing is promised its best thar we humble ourselves and let success speak for itself.
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ReplyDeleteAmong all the adults I have a relationship with, the one I find the most troublesome is my father. He and I have the worst sense of communication even when it comes to simple tasks. This is due to the fact that I am living in America during the 21st century while he lived in 20th century Vietnam. Almost all of my beliefs contrast his. Crazy enough, he doesn’t believe my beliefs are of value. He believes my opinion is worthless and a “waste of his time”. He sees emotions as useless and sees them as a sign of weakness. This is what my father doesn’t understand about me.
ReplyDeleteI see emotions as means for communication. I often am not allowed to express my emotions because my father hates it when I do. I tend to bottle up my emotions whenever I’m around him and that harms me mentally. I have a lot of issues when it comes to mental illnesses. This is mainly because of this problem. If my father were able to see that emotions are not only for the weak then he would understand what I was going through. He would understand the point I'm trying to make. But this is all a pipe dream. I've gone through other methods of communication with him that follows the typical Asian culture. Maybe one day but I doubt it.
My life is a confusing one. I'm usually in a state of tumult. This is mainly because I don't understand what goes around me and also because I get agitated easily. It took me a while to find out why this is. I found out in February of my freshman year. After mock trial finished, I really didn't do any extracurriculars. I stayed at home for the remainder of the school year. I realized that most of my agitation and confusion revolved around the fact that I didn't do anything. I wasn't at school socializing but at home playing games. Ever since I've stayed at school lots of times either in the band room or 204 or 406. It's helped me realize that talking and listening are keys to enjoying life.
The real world is confusing. I don't know much about it but I do know enough to still be living. One of the most important things I've learned about life, in general, is that without means of communication, our society would fall apart. Just imagine that you couldn't speak to anyone and no one would speak to you. You would have no ways to express yourselves or simply go through daily activities since it's routine to talk or text. Communication is key to being able to succeed and simply go about with our lives.
What do I wish an adult in my life understood or knew about me that they don't know is that I can't make decisions on my own. When it comes to making decisions it's really arduous. I'm always on the neutral spectrum. I usually ask my mom to do the decision making for me. And for some reason whatever decision she makes, I'm okay with it. It may be abnormal but I okay with. For example my future career has already been decided for me especially since there are a plethora of them. I couldn't make up my mind till my mom implied that if I went into health science and pursue physical therapy or anesthesiology, then I would make a numerous amount of money. The moment I heard this decision, I was okay with it and I was as hooked as a fish on a fishing line. Another example is that when my mom and I go clothes shopping. She would tell me to go and pick whatever pleased me but the result is that I would stare blankly in space like an owl stalking its prey. It will come to a point I would tell my mom to just pick whatever she wanted for whatever she picked it will please me. Habits like this I wish I could change because it will come to certain scenario where no one's decision matter except for mine which is a problem. No matter what I would tend to fall in the neutral spectrum. Neither for or against just in between like panda. Neither black all over or white but both.
ReplyDeleteAt the tender age of 16, 17, or 18, I figured out that our lives is like a story. One chapter is a beginning and the other is an ending. There will be always conflicts and resolutions. All the things that happened in our lives is not a mistake but there's a reason behind it. Whatever we do paves the path to our future. We have the will to create whatever we want in our lives. Whatever we do is up to us. To summarize it. Our lives is a story we live in
I’m fortunate enough to go through life with younger, more understanding parents than most people. Due to their age they can relate a lot more to what I have to on a daily bases and therefore understand me pretty well. The only thing that my parents don’t understand about me is my shyness. By that I mean they know how shy I really am but they have never understood my point of view on it. They try to push me through difficult situations like talking to the cashier in order to buy something or to talk to someone about anything in general. A lot of people find my( or anyone else like me) resistance to speaking with others not as a shy trait but a lazy one. One example I can give is when I go to Petsmart for my lizards’ food. I have a pet Bearded Dragon who eats crickets and so every time I run out of crickets I go to Petsmart to purchase more which can only be attained through asking an employee. I find it very difficult to do this because of my shyness, only a two second conversation that feels like forever to me. I want to be able to have a conversation with anybody I meet. I want to not feel anxious every time I need to talk to someone who isn’t a close family member or friend. I want to not fear talking to people on a daily basis. It’s more of a mentality than a disorder or medical problem. I could do away with this problem at anytime. The only thing holding me back is that It’s part of me. My unwillingness to talk is apart of my overall personality, that’s something I can’t change. If I get caught off guard or not prepared to talk I will always feel rushed with the same feeling of uneasiness. Having parents who don’t understand that can make certain situations hard. One thing I have learned so far in my almost seventeen years is that the world is a pretty selfish place. While people usually associate selfishness with situations like knowingly taking advantage of someone else for personal gain people tend to not talk about what we do unknowingly. Most people will not realize how selfish an action is until after the fact and I can’t blame or be mad at people for these actions. People aren’t always thinking about themselves but they also aren’t always thinking about others. If we as a society can start to think about others more the world would be better for everyone.No one can ever be fully selfless but if the next time you see a homeless man sitting infront of a store as you walk in or maybe see a toy donation considering the time of the year and you can help in anyway, trust me that you’ll make someone elses day as well as yours a little happier.
ReplyDeleteAdults always tell us that they've been where we are. They say they've been in our shoes, and repeatedly remind us that the shoes we're in are simply hand-me-downs. But they forget that we're a different generation. Success isn't easy to come by. Sadness isn't just a feeling anymore; it's a lifestyle. If there were one thing I wish adults were capable of understanding is a depression like mine. It's more than just feeling under the weather. I'm forced to sit in a classroom, and I'm expected to take notes at the same time that I'm taking in information. But they fail to understand that depression isn't just sadness. It doesn't just effect the curves of your lips. It takes it's toll. Not just mentally but physically. There's days where I can't take that test. There's days that I can't keep my head up. There's days where I can't work in that group. But that doesn't matter. And if I told them I couldn't do what they asked of me because I'm having one of my lesser days, they would tell me that that doesn't matter, and I'm expected to push through it and learn anyway. But what adults don't understand is that on those days, asking me to pretend to be me is like asking a man with no arms to squeeze your hand.
ReplyDeleteIn my short time here, I've learned so much. And what I've figured out about life is this: if anything, what you NEED to learn is people. You have to be able to know someone. You have to be able to know their signs. You have to be able to read their eyes. You have to know that they aren't capable of being normal all the time. And you have to be able to recognize those times. Be willing to understand. Because there's too much pain in our world. Be the reason someone chooses to stay. Be the person someone can count on. Because that's what we all need.