I'm only 15.....The stereotypes of teenagers

@Thatonerandomgirl99 I'm so sorry that you feel that teens are judged just for simply who they are... teens. I was once a teen too and experienced all that you mentioned. I believe a lot of us have been in those shoes and felt similar to what you mentioned. As an adult, it's easy to dismiss teen feelings because reality sits in. Supposedly, they said the brain isn't developed until mid 20s. And every 5 years, your thinking changes. We are never truly the same. That's not to say that how you feel now in your teens is not valid. Your feelings and emotions are valid and they do matter. I make no excuses for parents who dismiss the feelings of their children, but parenting is hard. Looking back, the things that bothered me so much then are so insignificant to me now. That puppy love I had at 14 that I thought would last forever, it didn't. I eventually got over it.  The striving for perfection to get academic accolades, getting over heartbreak, etc... a lot of those things just ended as I got order. Of course then,  these were big to me. I say all this to say this-- there will eventually come a time as you grow and develop that you reflect on things from your teen years and just laugh. As for the serious things, teens are very capable of experiencing depression and trauma! There is no set age for that and left untreated or ignored, teens will likely take that into adulthood. That's why there's so many of us adults who struggle with mental health because of things that may have happened in our past. I'm sorry you feel like you have to grow up too fast. At 15, you should be able to be a child/teen and be carefree. I hope you have someone close to you that you trust that you can talk to about how you are feeling. I hope things get better for you. Please take care! ☆♡

@Thatonerandomgirl99

Hello and welcome to 7 Cups 😊 

I had to grow up early, too. In some areas it must have been even earlier, but I remember the day when I was almost 12, realising I would have to help my parents with raising my siblings - and that was the moment my childhood ended for good.

Now my daughter is your age and I see how surprisingly fast from a little charmful girl who learnt how to walk, eat with a spoon or draw she's become a separate person and a fine woman with her own friends and life goals, her own world and her likes and dislikes.

In medieval times here in Europe teenage women became queens or saints, so that would be no good to ignore the power of teenage people, with their fresh insight and clean ideas.

Thanks for this introduction to a 15-year-old person mind and... take care 😊 

@Thatonerandomgirl99

If you grow up w/ older people this is normal for you've faced a lot

I'm not much older than you, yet I'm also a child, I feel the same way, I can relate to a few. I'm only 17, my mother don't believe kids can have mental health issues. I'm only 17, I'm watching my world fall apart before I can understand it. I'm only 17 I'm still a child so why am I trying to act like an adult, I'm only 17 one year off of being an adult, but am still treated like a child. I'm sorry you have this feeling. I hope you get better.

Hi @Thatonerandomgirl99,

Sorry that you feel judged for being a teenager. I was a teenager once and I could still recall how I felt others invalidated my experiences.

This is an interesting question, why do people judge teenagers so much?

I can answer with my experience. Majority of people that were judging me and invalidating my experiences were adults(ex: family, parents, siblings) who have little to no understanding of mental health. This can be due to cultural, social, economic, and political factors during the time they were a teenager that affected their perspective of a teenage experience. Depending on their experience as a teenager, maybe they judge others using a similar standard (and it does not excuse their behavior, but it's another way of lookimg at it). Other times, it can be someone who is facing mental health issues themselves and judge themselves for it, and project it unknowingly onto others hence judgment. If all the above are true in the scenarios above, it's really unfortunate for everyone involved. Judgment whether well intentioned or not, is still hurtful and so I just want to say that all your feelings are valid despite what other people say about a teenager.

@Thatonerandomgirl99

Bleeding words 💔