Teens Have A Lot Of Substance

Teens are made out to be one of the most selfish and shallow people. Teens are presumed to be "careless" and "crass". However, is that really so? If you would ask me, I would say teens are very sensitive and complicated. Why are there always stories of girls and boys breaking up and crying themselves to sleep? Why are there tales of students sitting depressed and taking their lives after a bad exam result? Why are there stories of teens crying on the phones to their friends because their crush has someone else?

These stories exist because teens feel everything so much more amplified. They try to act very strong and tough, but trust me, they are very fragile on the inside.

Teens have outbursts of anger and lash out on their parents and friends when asked about certain things. When they do that, they have no intentions of being insensitive or rude. It is a defence mechanism to look unbreakable about what might actually be breaking them inside. A 17-year-old may not know about the "hardships and difficulties" that she may face further in life, but the ones that she already faces are enough to suck the life out of her. She doesn't need to know that her life ahead is going to be even worse. Though the phrase is said with good intent to make a person's present problems look small, it just further stresses a teen out when they hear that life ahead will be tougher.

A teenager cannot be easily read and analysed. They are complex and half of the time, do not understand themselves. Teens don't want to come off as if they don't have their life figured out. So they act as if they know everything and that tends to unknowingly offend people. It is natural for a 13-year-old to argue for something that they know they are wrong about, spinning a web of lies just to always seem right on the outside. A teen feels underestimated and undermined when the world judges them and assumes that they are not "responsible" enough or "mature" enough.

You might be surprised by how many times teens can actually give really good advice. They never know how to use it in their own life, but they are always genuine when it comes to helping their loved ones. Let me set one thing straight. When it comes to teens, you cannot expect them to function in one way. Their system cannot be compared to any other or easily learnt and understood. Teens get easily attached, they get deeply hurt and they do care a hundredfold. Most importantly though, they have so much substance and they are so vulnerable, that they tend to hide it to protect themselves. So the next time to cross paths with a 15-year-old, remember not to judge her. Not necessarily, but she might even be able to read you much better than you can read her. Teens are ever-evolving and you cannot predict them. Their only constant is their heart full of substance.