Oh, Act Your Age!

by Steven Bernhard
Grade 11

I do not know why we really need a rite of passage just to prove that we are an adult to everyone else. Besides, how do you exactly describe acting like an adult anyway? To me, an adult is someone who is responsible, a good role model, and sets good examples to younger children. However, there are adults doing drugs, stealing and having premarital sex but there it seems like teenagers are the ones getting blamed for it. I don’t see how some sort of right of passage is needed to tell adults apart from kids when some adults can’t even act like adults!

Even though a kid can act responsible, get good grades, stay out of trouble, and set good examples, it still seems that adults still look down upon teens. Many older people are too stereotypical against teens today. They think we are all a bunch of slackers or something. I just do not think some sort of initiation is going to change the minds of some adults to prove that someone should now be considered an adult.

Setting up a structure or someway to initiate kids into adulthood would be very hard to do. Even if a boy were to perform some wonderful deed to prove his worthiness to be an adult, how would everyone else know that he should be considered an adult and not a child any more. Other than his friends and family, many people would have no way to tell if he has completed his ination to become an adult.

In old Indian tribes, when a boy was sent off to the woods or something by himself and safely returned, he would then be consider as an adult to everyone else in his tribe. Everyone in his tribe probably knew him and therefore would probably treat him with more respect and give him more responsibility because he was now an adult. However, now, if a boy was to become an adult, no one else would really know he is one because we live in such big cities and go to big schools where we do not even know everyone.

There is also the question as to what would the rite of passage be to become an adult. What would it be based on? Would it be some sort of test or courageous deed? I don’t think any of those would be necessary. There are already certain rites of passages established today by teens. Things like; graduating from 8^th grade and moving to high school, getting your license, and move on to college are all big steps in a teenager’s life. And of course all of these events do not happen all at once. They are spaced throughout a number of years in a teenager’s life. When all these acts are completed, most people now would consider themselves adults.

It takes a few years for someone to grow up completely, both physically and mentally. It cannot just happen with one initiation to prove that someone can now be called an adult for the rest of his or her life. Besides, what is the big rush to becoming an adult anyway? A person is a teenager for a reason; to prepare themselves for being an adult. That is what a person’s teen years are all about. We are learning useful skills to become an adult. This is not stuff you primarily learn in a classroom, but it is things like getting a part time job or owning a car. This can teach a teen a lot about earning and spending his or her money wisely, which is not really taught in high school. This is a very important thing to know when you grow up.

I know that I am not an adult yet and I do not want to be considered an adult yet. I am sure being an adult has its has its upsides, but so does a teenager. I mean if you are a teenager, then be one. There should be no big rush to becoming an adult. Eventually you will become an adult and will stay one for the rest of your life.

A person’s teen years are a very important time of learning and growth. This should not be rushed. When a teenager thinks that he or she should now be considered an adult then they should start acting like one. If you can act your age and be responsible then that should be the only rite of passage you need. You do not need a big show or some special test to prove you can be treated as an adult. And if you can’t act or show that you should be considered an adult then you probably should not be one!

Answers To Questions

1) Margaret Mead said that the future of the young people in the U.S. were becoming less than they might be in because we really did not understand what a difference in culture could make. This is the opposite of the Army’s popular slogan; “Be all you can be”.

2) I think that the importance of the language spoken in the home is not a real important issue to most families today. However, there are still familial pressures on children as well as misconceptions about race and color even today.

3) I do agree with Margaret Mead because I think that culture is man made and we are free to design it closer to the desires of our own hearts. We make up our culture and we are able to change it to suit us. I see culture as the way people live. It is how they act and its about who they are.

4) In Margaret Mead’s writings, she is advocating greater knowledge and control over the civilizing process.

5) I think adults should be informed on “what’s going on” with their kids. I hope that they should already know if it is their own child, but sometimes it can be hard to tell. Kids need some boundaries and structure because if they didn’t then everyone’s kids would be running around wild. They would have no rules to deal with and would be out of control.

6) I know, and I have seen a few things dealing with drugs and alcohol at my school. However, I have never experienced anything with drugs or alcohol. I know many kids that go to parties to be seen there and try to be cool by drinking beer and smoking. Mostly younger teens are the ones doing this. I think because they are just trying to fit in. Lots of teens these days will just tell there parents that they are spending the night at a friend's house, but most likely they are going to get messed up at some kids party. Then their parents pick up their son or daughter at their friend’s house the next day and they never know. Another thing I noticed that people that you would not think would be going to a keg party are usually the first people there. You really cannot tell how a person is around drugs or alcohol until you actually know them.

7) I do not think there really is a realistic solution to racism today. You can try to educate people to not stereotype but it is all up to the people to decide for themselves if they will be stereotypical. Kids and grown ups can stereotype all kinds of ethnic backgrounds. This has been going on for years and looks like there is no end in sight. It would be nice to see everyone get along with each other, but I wouldn’t look forward to it.

8) I guess you could say that it could be a relief to go to class and learn. That way you would not have to worry about the pressures of sports and friends. But even if learning could be presented in new and exciting ways, I still would not want to be home schooled or even at an all boy school. Balancing schoolwork, sports, and friends is an important part of school life.

9) It’s true, schools do not really teach you how to live. Instead, school teaches you how to long tedious algebra problems. Most people do not need to know this to get by in life. Everyday we learn about physics, geometry, Spanish and history but most of only use that when we are forced to in class. Now, don’t get me wrong; I do feel some subjects taught in school are necessary to educate kids. I think some classes incorporating activities with relevance to actual real life situations would be more useful to students.

10) I agree, all kids need someone to look up to as good parental figures. Some might say they don’t when they enter there teen years, but that is when they need it most. Kids and parents need to communicate with and get more involved with each other. It seems that theses days, parents and there kids just don’t have enough time anymore to do things together.