Teenager

Assalamualaikum,

All adults were teenager, but not all teenagers are adult. Being a teenager is hard, believe me I know. You're not a kid, but not yet an adult. They way people treat you most of the time didn't help. I think that 'confusion' contribute to rebellious years and conflict in a teenager.

I had rebellious years as a teenager. I saw everything including the world going against me. If I had wings, I would have soared into another world. I have never feel angst and frustration more in my life other that time. Teenage years is short, it ends before you realized it. But that short period of time determine what kind of adult you'll become.

Not many teenagers want to stay on the other side of the line - being a kid - most of teenager want to get out of the cocoon and became an adult. You think being an adult is that cool, isn't??!! Sigh. The adrenaline and desire motivate teenagers to do sort of things to gain that adult status.

And I always have problem - huge problem - with that initiative.

This is especially to my lil bro and generally to all teenagers out there.
For everybody who holds responsibility towards you - parents, older sister / brother, aunty / uncle - you are forever a baby to us. Being rebellious and doing stupid things to prove that you are not a baby, would never change what's in our heart or how we see you.

I was a teenager and I had my rebellious years, so I'm not going to tell you to stop doing what you're doing. But listen. The only way people will started to treat and see you as an adult, is when you act like an adult. That is, to be responsible to each element you are supposed to be responsible to. That is, to consider your future and work to get a better one. That is, to prove that you can be a person and not another statistic. That is, to understand what your parents sacrificed to raise a family. That is, to stop making people who love you dearly worry and cry.

Until then, even then, you are our beloved baby.

You don't have to understand this now. But I hope it wouldn't be too late when you finally understand this. When you are at our place - an adult - you'll see what we see. Life is full of footsteps; you got to see them everywhere.

Wassalam.