Young People and Their World and Teenagers

YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR WORLD

Who is a teenager ....

A person at the ages between thirteen and nineteen is called a teenager. At that specific period of human´s life called puberty they have common hobbies, common interests and even common problems.

Characteristics:

- they believe there is nothing they could not achieve, so they are idealistic

- they are full of ideals, dreams and wishes

- they love to be independent of parents and older people

- they have plenty of free time (go out with friends, listen to music, play computer games, go to parties, discos...)

- people tolerate their faults because of their lack of experience

- the only thing they are responsible for is to be prepared for school

- parents support them financially (if they need to go to disco, or buy something they desire)

- parents support them emotionally (they stand by their own children)

- parents protect them and provide them with experience and wisdom

- most of the teenagers are easygoing, happy-go-lucky, optimistic about the future

- they are full of energy and want to look good – often they go to gym, do bodybuilding, go to fitness centre or dance zumba or aerobic etc.

- they are emotional, sometimes rebellious, adventurous, risk-taking

- maturing physically, emotionally, socially, growing intellectually

However, ...

- young people are very fragile and emotionally unstable

- they are somewhere in the middle between the childhood and the adulthood

- they have to follow the rules of their parents, society...

- they have to prove they are worth of trust, they are mature enough

Values of young people

- family

- experience

- education

- independence

- privacy

Young people have to go through generation gap – a gap between two generations – the young and the adults, the kids and the parents. They both have completely different opinion about a lot of things:

- when to come back home from a party or discotheque

- how to study, what marks are appropriate

- where to study in the future

- how to spend the free time

- what job they should choose for the future

What teenagers think of adults

- they are too conservative, stick to traditions

- they don't give them enough freedom, money

- they wear weird, old-fashioned clothes, hairstyles

- they don't like modern music

What adults think of teenagers

- they don't respect older generation

- modern style of music, fashion, hairstyles are awful

- they are rude, impolite, badly behaved, use vulgar language

- they are only interested in music, fashion, friends

- they don't study enough, don't think of their future

- they spend too much time with their friends

Lack of communication, not clear message from the parent´s side, fear, orders only cause a lot of misunderstanding, shouting, stress and quarrels.

The youngsters are influenced by other people, and even by the things that surround them: - electronic media - internet, sport, books, fashion trends, religion, friends, hi-tech toys (gadgets), money, family...

Problems of some teenagers:

- internet addiction, gambling, playing truant, skipping classes, alcoholism, taking drugs, smoking, vandalism, running away from home

- alcohol or drugs are attractive because they can help them escape from reality

- some teenagers become members of some gangs, radical social groups

- teenage pregnancy

- girls put on a lot of makeup, undergo plastic surgeries, suffer from bulimia and anorexia, they want to be like models, to be sexy

- boys take anabolic steroids to make their muscles grow faster

- it's difficult to resist team's (group's) pressure

To avoid all the negatives in their lives young people should be involved in service to others, to community, their country, the world around them. They could be a part of some clubs protecting nature, taking care of younger kids, dancing groups, sport teams and so on.

Teenagers in Slovakia live with their parents, help with chores..

Teenagers in the USA: at the age of 18 they leave families and live in their own flats (rented). They learn how to be responsible and independent. Also having a car is a necessity, each adult member of a typical family has his/her own car. Most of them drive to work or school by car.

Teenagers in Great Britain have own lifestyle. They leave school at the age of 16 and get their jobs, are independent, have their own money.

Young people and fashion, interests, sport, music, education, travelling, role models, society, jobs...