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My life as a teenager is very difficult and different from my life as a child. As a child, I saw everything in black or white, but nowadays, things are not so clear-cut. In fact, I’m whirling in contradiction and confusion. This is probably because many changes, both physical and mental, are still taking place in me. These hormonal changes are part and parcel of being an adolescent but golly, how much havoc they cause in me! Nevertheless, I do enjoy being a teenager.
First, I like my closer relationships with my friends. As a child, my friendship with other children was based on how frequently I saw them. Those whom I saw every day would inevitably become my good friends. This is not the case now, as my friendships are based on mutual interests and shared activities so that the bonds are stronger. Another thing I like about being this age is the fact that I can dress like a clown and the only reaction from other people is, “Oh, she’s like that because she’s a teenager. I can also throw tantrums and laugh for no reason whatsoever and still be considered normal because people actually expect adolescents to have irrational mood swings. However, there is one aspect of adolescence I dislike immensely – having to go to school. I really hate it because school is where all our teachers give us piles of homework (UGH! ). It usually takes me at least three hours every night to finish all our assignments. We also have to prepare scrapbooks, charts and other nonsensical projects every time English Week or Minggu Bahasa Malaysia comes up.
For active students like me, there is endless round of inter-school debates, drama competitions, speech contests and the like. I tell you, there are not enough hours in a day for everything, even for a super student like me! Let’s not forget those monthly tests which are always looming threateningly around the corner. All my teachers and parents expect me to do wonder all the time. Yes, the pressure can be unbearable and it’s no wonder I sometimes feel like a rubber band, stretched to the limit, ready to snap at any time!
The worst thing about being a teenager is that there are many prejudiced people who think juveniles are all delinquent. They accuse us of loafing in shopping malls, mixing with bad hats and wasting our parents’ money. Some salesgirls even eye us suspiciously when we are browsing through the shelves to ensure that we do not shoplift anything! How insulting! Yes, it’s tough being a teenager. However, I hope to learn from this so-called period of storm and stress and emerge a better person from it, like a butterfly coming out from its cocoon.