Choices: Teenagers in High School
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I have learned a lot throughout my years in high school, but one thing that teenagers often ignore is common sense and sometimes make choices and decisions that place them at risk. We think we are invincible which causes us to make mistakes, big ones that impact the rest of our lives. I have many friends who have thrown their lives away just because of these six current years of our lives. Some teenagers will go to extremes to be accepted by their peers.
This summer a friend of mine was killed and another is being tried for his murder. Deciding to throw rocks at a house one was hanging out of the van window without a seat belt on and the other was driving and not paying attention to where he was going. The driver had his license for less then two months and he ended up getting too close to a telephone pole and the other kid was killed instantly when his head hit the pole. My friend who was driving was arrested and sent to jail for murder. Two lives, ruined in a mater of seconds, and yet, if they were a little bit more careful, if they had thought about what they were doing, they could both still have the rest of their lives ahead of them. A small act of stupidity and thoughts of invincibility has cut all that potential short.
Low self- esteem and confidence kills teenagers’ everyday. Trying to be popular and cool enough to make it through the difficulties of high school has ruined countless number of lives. There is no need to be cool or popular to make it through high school, it is only a small phase in life. But really, how often do you keep in contact with people you were friends with in high school? Sure, some of them, but not all of them. We are afraid to be different or sometimes even independent. Afraid that if our peers see us as different, then we will be labeled. But labels and cliques are unavoidable in high school. Grades, social levels, race, athletic abilities, looks, even gender are all used to divide and separate teenagers. Teenagers often care so much about fitting in so much that they hurt themselves.
Some teenagers become bulimic or anorexic because of the pressure to be like the stick skinny models in the magazines. One of my friends would leave after she ate lunch and go to the bathroom. For weeks this went on, then one of my friends told me she went there to throw up. Teenagers allow themselves to be peer pressured into drinking or doing drugs. Everywhere teenagers go they are constantly evaluated by everything. What they wear, what they say, how they act. Because of this teenagers are so preoccupied with their image.
Suicidal thoughts are another issue teenagers face and it is mainly due to low self-confidence and poor self-image. When I was in ninth grade a friend of mine was making the white pressure lines on her skin with a pair of scissors we were given for a group project. Once when doing the motion she squeezed too hard and a drop of blood appeared. I never told anyone that this happened, as I was instructed to do in the third grade guidance movies. Another one of my friends openly told me about his cutting habits and depression, and again I never told anyone. What they do not know is it really is not as bad as it seems. It takes a strong person to over come the problems in life, and we face problems not only as teenagers, but also as adults.
Not all teenagers are heavily influenced by peer pressure or make decisions that place them at risk. Some are exactly the opposite, able to make their own positive choices and not caring what others think. They rely on their friends and positive adults to help them make the right decisions. All teenagers make mistakes; it is part of becoming a responsible adult and trying to find out who you are. Those who make mistakes that jeopardize their future and their own lives just to become more popular or to fit in are not able to see that they still have their whole life ahead of them.
Photo Credit: kevindooley
Photo Credit: DownTown Pictures
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