What's A Teen To Do?

It has been a busy school year.  School has been open for a little over two months and much has happened.  Some of it has been exciting and exhilerating and some has been disappointing and frustrating.  Given all of the experiences I have had with teens in the past few months, I continue to be amazed by their sense of responsibility, their sense of right and wrong and their desire to "do right" and make positive life choices. 
Sure, there have been some that have gotten distracted and made some unfortunate, negative choices, but the overwhelming majority are fantastic people to know.  They crave direction, structure and a listening ear.

I don't think teenagers receive enough credit for what they have to endure.  Parents who give mixed messages.  Teachers who don't always deliver good, interesting, engaging and motivating teaching.  School boards who make decisions based upon personalities, personal interests or money and not the best interests of students.  Friends who sometimes bully and pressure to make poor, negative choices.  Society who overloads them with images of promiscuity, body image, greed and violence.  What's a teen to do with all of this?  What direction should they take?  Who should they believe?  What should be important?

I tell the teens I encounter to talk about their feelings.  Talk about what is on their mind.  Talk about what is important to them.  Talk about the things that are exciting and confusing.  I encourage them to be creative, to ask questions, to explore the world outside of their world, to reject fear and embrace opportunity.  I encourage them to not miss this chance of achieving a solid education, a prerequisite for future sustainability.  What's a teen to do?  Such a good question that I get asked many times over.  It's hard walking the line of part adult, part child.  Part of the solution lies with the adults within their lives to give good example and unconditional regard for their well-being, physcially and emotionally.  It's hard being a teen.  More adults need to understand that.