Adolescence and Stereotypes
Greeting readers! Like a great human once said, “Adolescents, especially the teens, are the most misunderstood people; they are treated like kids and are expected to behave like adults.”
Almost every teen can relate to this little rant I’m putting forth here. That is because we are tired of all the stereotypes targeted at us, all the expectations we wrestle to live up to, and all the confusions we have inside us about our worth!
Before I say anything more, let me caution you that this blog breaks a few stereotypes which you might not like.
“Hey, since you’re a girl, you can take this pink sunshade.”
~No, little kid. I prefer black more! Pink is too glossy for me!
“Hey, don’t cry like a baby. Man up!”
~No, little kid. I’m not a machine that feels no emotions! I feel hurt, I cry!
“Roam around the city as long as you want, but be back by 9”
~The movie begins at 8:30! You know what? I’ll stay caged at home.
“We are not like others who don’t let their children choose their careers. You have all the freedom to choose your career path. We wouldn’t restrict you to engineering, medicine, or legal and/or civil services. You can become a teacher too.”
~Fashion designing wasn’t even in the picture, right? Ugh!
“93% in boards!? Amazing! I’m proud of you! So which allied subject do you want alongside physics, chemistry and maths?”
~Arts is my thing! I don’t want to do science!
The list is endless. You too must have seen or even felt numerous examples of this prejudice, but the main objective of this blog is not to rant on about this. Oh boy, here we go again… How have we, as a society, made absurd things normal. Okay, take a deep breath! *inhale* *exhale*
Phew! Let’s save that for another time then! It deserves a blog of its own! I know many parents who try their best to make adolescence as memorable and joyful as possible, but then there is society.
Why society, why?
Why give the freedom if you want to impose restrictions?
Why bring gender, age and other unwanted factors when it comes to expressing emotions?
Why give the choice if you’ve already made up your mind?
Why make us feel less worth about ourselves in the guise of being protective?
Why tell us we haven’t seen the world when you don’t have the heart to let us see it?
Why society, why?
Honestly, at this juncture, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how we got here. However, I know one thing. Coming back to the quote at the top, we adolescents are treated like kids. Given tiny responsibilities, not really trusted like an adult with stuff.
Our adolescence is a learning curve, we can’t be expected to suddenly know what is what. We have an opinion, we have thoughts, and we have a voice. Just listen to it once, we promise it would be worth it. It’s okay if your son prefers ‘girly’ colours. It’s okay if your daughter has male best friends. Trust your parenting, because you taught us limits and we definitely wouldn’t cross them. It’s okay if your child has opinions that are different from yours. It’s okay if your child makes mistakes because that’s how we learn. Just like you taught us to apologize if we are wrong, you too apologize if you’re wrong. Observational behaviour plays a huge role indeed.
But hey dear adolescents reading this, I do have a word of caution for you. Sometimes, parents worry about our safety, and hence there are some restrictions. Don’t confuse their concern of security with lack of freedom. When I said we adolescents have a voice, I mean we also have to convey our perspectives with due respect and humility. The way you put forward your opinions is just as important. The little responsibilities they give us is a huge start, and let us try to do our best there. Of course, it is fine that we mess up on the very first try, but we can take it as an experience. The trust factor is always mutual, and hence it is our responsibility to build it.
At the end of the day, we all are humans who make mistakes, right? The essence of our true human nature lies in identifying and correcting mistakes to not repeat them. A little change in perspective can transform the spirit of life!
Thank you for the patient read! It’s Shreya signing off until next time.
