by Omoigui Osasogie

Young and free, we are teenagers of this century, leaders of tomorrow they say.

We are at the pinnacle of the age non-conformance, we want to feel we belong but to a group we choose to; we want love and to be loved, admired and most of all respected.

We start to see the world as a new place, we feel we are in control of the world, that it’s our time.
Our self esteem is ever shaky- most times low, other times high.

Friends we know from childhood eventually turn into strangers for lack of things in common, for this we start finding and fitting in where we belong.

We become happy, sad, confused, angry, scared with mixed feeling, hormones are raging. One minute we can be happy then one short text can leave us angry or sad; our feelings bounce and change in seconds.

We teenagers (females especially) are under tremendous pressure to have sex without the prerequisite of a meaningful relationship, which apparently our parents have no knowledge of.

How we are grumpy, lazy, conceited, impossible to get along with,  as adults do say.

Well as teenagers (females), we care too much about how we look- make up, hairstyles-  with the second most important thing and one more important thing: BOYS.

We pass through that phase of life where people neither qualify us as adults nor as children. Our voices rarely finds a place in the society.

I’m a TEENAGER. I face that challenge but I know I’m worth it; we can’t tell our parents how we feel because of the fear of what they might do to us. The depression, attitude, ambition,feelings, school; confident but yet insecure.

The rules get twisted.
They tell me what to do: do this, do that, don’t do that, do it this way or that way.

Don’t tell me the rules, I make the rules. No one understands me, only I know me. I can’t follow all your rules, guide me, you need to understand, I’m no kid, don’t treat me like one.

At this age, if you want respect you have got to respect us- our feelings, our emotions. Don’t blame us when we rebel, we are trying to understand ourselves, understand us too. We need someone to encourage and advice us, not criticize us because they see us talking to the opposite sex.

We are the future and we will change the world. These are years of exploration and risk, of our body changing. Our world is in flux, we need direction to the right path without control or power; we need love without pampering; we need advice without patronizing or criticizing. Remember no man is perfect. We need rules with enough choices; give us room to make our rules and choices; we need boundaries with respect and care.

Don’t be a PARENT, be a MENTOR.
Don’t be an ENFORCER, be a GUIDE.

Listen to us because we have a lot to say and questions to ask.
Understand us because WE ARE WORTH IT.

Best Wishes,
Osasogie