THE BEGINNING POST

Being a teenager is hard. I shouldn’t sugar coat it, because there’s no real way of doing so. I’m only a few years into my teenage life and already, I can see it’s becoming, increasingly, a tougher challenge to face as the days pass by. It’s hard enough being a teenager, puberty knocking down your door and having certain restrictions; throwing in some exams makes life that much worse – and that much harder.

It’s hard to believe that by age 14 you ought to have worked out your entire life. Your GCSEs (British exams sat between 15 and 16 years old) decide what you do next (A Levels – exams sat between age 17 and 18 – or college, getting an apprenticeship or even starting a job). These are difficult decisions based on how well you can analyse and remember things at age 15.

Teenagers have the hard job of revising, and trying to keep social. Universities these days decide that we need to have the right qualifications, by staying indoors with no human interaction to study, and spending every waking minute on studies; whilst we must also make sure that we have things to put on our resumee, like extra-curricular activities we shouldn’t have enough time for. Telling me to ‘take some time off every now again’ is easier said than done, because according to everyone else, and educational boards, I ought to be a robot. But that’s not what they want either. Still with me?

The expectations put upon us make the heavy load harder to bear. You’re set a target each term – if you have a bad target, you’re expected to be able to get better; if you have a more-than-achievable target, ‘the teacher thinks you can achieve it’ and so you must. But there’s never the question of do you think you can achieve it? It’s always a given, and so help you if you fall short.

Being a teenager (and a young one like myself), has its restrictions. Work experience? You must be at least 18, don’t you know the rules?! It’s infuriating. There’s the aspect of politics too. You are unable to vote at 16, but can legally have a child. What is the difference between deciding our political future – it is our, isn’t it? – and caring for a child? I would presume the latter is harder. You’re legally unable to earn minimum wage at a job until age 16, and unfortunately, there’s still the unlikely chance that you might not have time to have a job at 16 – unless you’d like to give up your summer (I personally, would rather not…).

Unlike a very popular belief, my soul is not consumed by social media. Yes, social media is a big part of my life, I enjoy posting the odd selfie, I’ll admit. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t spend a day without my ‘precious’ Instagram. I can’t deny that I’m not an avid user of these sites (I do enjoy tumblr) but then again, seeing as the internet and technology has become such a big part of everyone’s lives, it’s increasingly hard not to. But, it is not teenagers alone who use these sites – or technology itself. I’ve noticed that there are more and more people using their phones or social networking sites for more social uses. It’s easier. There’s no denying. Britons are notoriously very tight with money – doesn’t having sites use internet connection make it that bit easier? You’re spending the money anyway, social networking sites run on WiFi just makes it that much simpler.

The ‘grunt’ is one my mother in particular likes to overplay. It’s the mimicking that parents do when they shout at you and you, annoyed, shout back ‘OKAY!’ and they continue to use it as a soundtrack to your life, and mentions the ‘teenage phase’ to possibly anyone they see. Nope. I’m not a grumpy little swine who can’t be bothered, nor am I someone who continuously has their headphones in (actually, I do that. I like my music.). I’m a teenager. Who’s continuously tired of working so hard from such a young age for exams and work that I could be doing when I’m older and more capable.

However, being a Welsh teenager – and an incredibly patriotic one at that – does come with its advantages. I’m not too scared to voice my opinions, and no one else should be either.

Take hold of your opinions and share them. Try to be careful and understanding of others' feelings, but don't be afraid to express yourself and your views. In the long run, people know where you stand - it's a bonus!

#Teenager #University