Straight Talk For Teens By Teens

I don’t read. I just don’t like it. Even Harry Potter I skipped. Sometimes on MySpace, I read a “fun fact” or gossip, but I’m not into politics or business. I have better things to do, and between homework, sports, and my social life, there’s no time.

I don’t usually read. I wasn’t a good reader through school so I got turned off. I didn’t even read Harry Potter. On rare occasions I read magazines from the supermarket checkout lines, but news doesn’t interest me because everything is spun and it’s overwhelming not knowing what to believe. Online, I strictly social network and get entertainment via YouTube.

Before I became socially obsessed, I read practically a book a day. I was raised without a TV, so books were how I learned and amused myself. I especially love Steinbeck, Dickens, and Austen with their good human values. But now with school, sports, and socializing, I prefer personal-development books because you can skip around and still learn. In tenth grade I lived with my dad in Europe and Europeans think Americans are really dumb because we are clueless about world affairs. That motivated me! On the Internet, I social network but I avoid celebrity gossip. I get news from my email home page feed and the ORF, an Austrian site with detailed world news.

I didn’t used to like to read, but recently I started Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms. My mom keeps thinking it’s assigned reading! I don’t read magazines or newspapers at all. On MySpace, I read election news, but generally, I don’t read politics. It’s embarrassing, but my friends and I go to a celebrity website for guilty pleasure. It’s meaningless, but that’s what we do.

Aside from school reading, I spend about 30 minutes a day reading things like Popular Mechanics, Rolling Stone, the Sacramento Bee. I also read regularly for pleasure, more than most of my peers, maybe because I had no TV growing up and still don’t. Right now I’m reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I use the Internet for research and social networking, but I hate reading online; it physically drains me.

I, and many of my peers, use http://www.google.com/reader/view/, a customizable news feed that pulls from thousands of newspapers, magazines, and online publications. During college, and now, after work, I come home and see all the day’s politics, economy, technology, philosophy, video game news, etc. It’s like reading 12 newspapers a day.

What I learned is that adults are just like me. They have the same problems teens have: drugs, sex, relationships, weight, depression, and on. What’s great, though, is that they’ve gone through it and come out okay. They have tons of wisdom to dispense, years of experience to summarize. This is more than a suggestion to talk to your professors/teachers. Socializing with older people is the golden ticket to being successful everywhere: work, college, law school, grad school, LIFE!

I wasn’t popular in high school. I wasn’t an honor student. I essentially didn’t even have parents. My grandmother and mom kicked me out at age 15, telling me I was worthless, so I worked my way through high school living in a group home. Now look at me: independent, a diploma, a job promotion, helping others through my church, happy with life! I’m living proof that anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

Save money. Many teens don’t realize what it takes to just barely survive. Many friends still live with parents, can’t put gas in their car, are in debt.

Ladies: you’ve heard girls mature faster than guys. It’s true. Don’t give away every speck of your heart in your first relationships, only to be devastated. Let the relationships be stepping stones, teaching you what you are really looking for.

Leave your drama at home! Move forward, make friends, be proactive. Take a leap of faith! Don’t let insecurities or mistakes get you down, and if you need to change your mind, do it. Don’t let others choose your path. Go into situations with an open mind. Preconceived notions can cause disappointment and failure.

Don’t be a cookie-cut person. Do what you want to do, not what others want you to do. I’m not saying ignore your parent’s advice, but it’s your life and you need to think critically and develop your own conclusions. Civilizations developed so we could survive easier, however, today’s materialism has made life extremely stressful. Do what brings you joy and what you need (love, money, friends) will come.

I’m a college senior. I play Division I soccer and keep a high GPA. I also party pretty hard. If you’re going to college, the key is balance between work and play. If you love to party, you need to hit the books just as hard and actually go to class. Stay away from white drugs and heavy alcohol use. Keep your body fit. Stay away from relationships that cut you off from what college is for: a place to figure out your boundaries, learn what your body and mind can handle.

I graduated and wanted out of this little town. I moved a lot and ended up back here. Now I know this is where I want to be. Follow your heart and trust it will all be okay. If you are somewhere new, reach out and make friends.

Most important for me was for family and friends to believe in me.

Don’t rely exclusively on others. On the other hand, never forget that someone helped you get where you are. All actions have consequences, but don’t let fear rule. Take unexpected changes in stride, they could be for the better. Don’t sweat the small stuff. File your taxes on time. Do the right thing, always.