I was a teenager once too, so I remember it well. I thought I was smart.
I thought I knew everything, and no one could tell me differently.
Well, I was wrong. Not that I did anything terrible, but I wish I would’ve listened to some adults once in a while when they dished out advice.
In this AskReddit article, people share the advice that they think today’s teens need to know about.
1. It’s okay to be quiet
“There’s nothing wrong with not liking to talk to people as long as you’re friendly. Don’t force yourself to be talkative just because others want you to be. You’ll still need to learn social skills like gauging trustworthiness, effective communication, and helpfulness.
However, you don’t need to force yourself to be talkative to be socially adept; you juat have to be mindful.”
2. NO
“Learn to say No, if a request makes you uncomfortable you can say No, even it’s to family or friends! It’s healthy to set boundaries and learn to respect others people’s too 🙂 “
3. You’ll be just fine
“Your body parts won’t all grow at the same speed. Don’t panic, everything will probably even out.”
4. Try to be rational
“Me telling my teen self: Don’t let your emotions dictate your choices.”
5. There for you
“If your parents are good people, you should try talking to them about your problems. Don’t let embarassment get in the way.”
6. Parents know all
“I knew you were masturbating, im just not going to say anything.”
7. Nobody’s perfect
“Your parents are just flawed people too. They are [mostly] trying their best, but will still make mistakes.”
8. Take care of yourself
“It’s okay to take some time to take care of your mental health, nobody will hate you for it.”
9. Good idea
“Delete your internet profiles every few years. Your boss in 5 years does not want to see your shit from today, and we all post dumb shit.
Google yourself and make sure those accounts are deleted as well.”
10. An important reminder
“That we love and care about them, I think we often get caught up in day-to-day life and forget to tell them this.”
11. In some shape or form
“Cliques and high school mentality exist forever. Some people just never grow up.”
12. Listen to this one
“To my former teenage self: When they say don’t do drugs until your brain is fully developed, there’s a reason, and you should listen.”
13. It’ll get better
“A lot of people try to glamorize high school and make you think your high school years are the best years of your life. For a lot of people, this just isn’t true. It’s okay not to like high school or to feel like you don’t belong. You are not alone. It gets better.
High schoolers deal with a lot of heavy shit. A lot of mental illness comes to light at this age, including depression and anxiety but also heavier stuff. Many who struggle with these issues won’t get help until years later.
High school kids also deal with a lot of issues, like identity issues, bullying, pressure to conform, disputes with parents, the pressure associated with juggling work, school and life that often get better once high school is done. Hang in there, it does get better.”
14. Everyone is different
“There are lots of paths to a successful happy life, not just the one that involves straight A’s and the Ivy League or other top colleges.”
15. All good points
“Be calm when arguing your point of view. Accept criticism, shrug off the type of personal attacks and ad hominems that don’t contribute to the debate.
And don’t measure how right you are by number of upvotes or downvotes.”
