Mature Like a Teenager

“Don’t laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find a face of his own.”  ~Logan Pearsall Smith
 Photo 19I love teenagers. I love how they are perfectly balanced on the edges of hope, fear, excitement, ambition, hormones, and discovery. Endless possibilities stream before them – even if what they’ve experienced of life so far has been less than easy. I find it energizing just to be around them.
 
When my children were young I was often warned about them becoming teenagers. Melo-dramatic eye-rolling was usually accompanied by pained declarations like, “Oh, just wait until she’s a teenager,” “He’s turning sixteen? Good luck!” “Thirteen? I’m so sorry.” So I went out and bought a bullwhip and a cage and waited for my kids to become nightmares.
 
The thing is, they never did. I mean, they’re not perfect. They have their moments. But then, neither am I, and so do I. I’ve pressed their buttons just about as often as they’ve pressed mine. But I’ve also heard surprising wisdom from my offspring — far beyond their ages. And sometimes mine. I notice this in their friends, too. It may simply be that their lives are uncluttered with the things that leave some of us adults jaded. Or it may be that all that wisdom and insight is actually there inside them, and we just need to listen.
 
Perhaps this is why I gravitate toward writing for Young Adults. They are bright packages of maturity, immaturity, wisdom, and silliness, and they make me want to live. I hope I can give something back to them in my writing.

Share
About Janiel 432 Articles
My greatest pleasure in life has been raising my four excellent children--some of whom liked me so much that they keep coming back. My second greatest pleasure has been doing whatever I can to make people laugh and create bright moments. I hope to do a bit more good in the world before I go the way of it. And if not, I'd better at least get to spend some serious time writing and singing in a castle somewhere in the UK.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*