Carp O’Diem 2

Teenagers Are People Too

Hey, can we stop treating teenagers like they’re nuts, predatory, or dishonest?

Where did this COME from? I’ve taught a lot of middle school and high school kids and

this seems to be one of the last legit biases. Most young people I know are loving, funny,

they have personal integrity to burn and they work hard. At first it just made me tired to

have people say things like, “And you believed him?” or “I’m sorry, I can’t trust a boy to

babysit my children.” Now it just makes me mad. According to the class in Adolescent

Psychology that was a requirement for my master’s degree, adolescents are inherently

idealistic, not dishonest. Yes, they are a bit self-centered, and wouldn’t you be if you

were doing all the grown-up things for the first time and hoping that you were doing them

right? Most teens I know are trying as hard and as anxiously as they can to please the

adults in their lives, and they’re running scared because they don’t think it’s possible.

Cut ‘em a break, folks. You were there once, remember?

I’m Brenda Stevens, and this is my Carp O’Diem.