Family First

These days, having divorced parents is a very common situation. It is so common that it has actually become normal. My parents have been married for almost 23 years and don’t have any previous marriages. Nowadays my family would be viewed as very uncommon. We are the unicorns of family situations. I know this is a very fragile topic and I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings I would just like to talk about how different people’s lives are in this day and age.

Most of my friends have different family situations. Most have divorced parents, others have parents with previous marriages, and some have single parents. There are very few of us with parents who are still together through a first marriage. All of these kids are still very happy and are not any different from me. They just have different family.

We all have really different family situations, values and routines. Some people have brothers, some have sisters, some have both and some are the only child. We all have grown up in completely different ways. We are all still great people who have values and care about things. They are just different. We should never judge someone just because their family is a little different. Those are the most important people in that person’s life and you are insulting him. That is not fair or nice.

Trust me, growing up, I’ve seen a lot of my friends, who have different family situations, get teased and bullied because of it. They already had bad feelings toward their situation and others just made it worse. It wasn’t fair to them at all because people were just looking at their family and judging them when, really, they are an amazing person. When you insult someone’s family, you are also insulting them.

I just want everyone to realize that we are all different and it’s ok. We need to learn to accept people how they are and not make fun of them for who they are and where they come from. That person you just made fun of because their mom left a note in their lunch? Their dad left years ago and their mom is just trying to make ends meet and still care for her kids. That person you teased because they don’t look anything like their family? They were adopted from an orphanage and is so happy to be with a family who truly loves them. You never understand someone’s situation unless you’re living it. So don’t jump to conclusions and judge someone before you get to know who they really are. Who knows, you might be surprised at who you meet.

Is Christmas Coming Early?

It is November now and all the Halloween decorations are gone. The candy is eaten, the fake skeleton has been shoved back into the closet and the toilet paper has been cleaned from the trees. Now should be the time for simple fall decorations and preparing for thanksgiving right? Apparently, some people don’t think so. A lot of people are already preparing for Christmas.

You walk through the stores now and all you see are Christmas trees, blow-up Santas, and snowmen. I understand that the Christmas season is the best time of the year but we aren’t even half way through November. I feel it is too early to be pulling out the Christmas lights. Thanksgiving is the next holiday and so many people are just skipping right over and freaking out about Christmas. We are supposed to be remembering to be thankful for our friends, our family, and our country. We are too busy getting hyped up about black Friday sales, presents, and singing Christmas carols though. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. It has always been my favorite holiday and I love to feel the Christmas spirit. But we are starting way too early.

A lot of the causes for such early Santa jitters are because of stores and marketing. It is getting close to the most popular and profitable time of year and management is trying to get as much as they can, as fast as they can. Black Friday sales used to be on the Friday after thanksgiving. Now there are sales on thanks giving itself and even the weekend before. It is getting to be absolutely crazy. We should all be spending time with our families for the holiday but many people have to leave theirs so they can come sell you a toaster on sale. Does that seem fair? Everyone should get a break for the holiday, that’s why Black Friday is on FRIDAY. But the sales industry has become greedy and moves their sales up to get as much profit as they can.

Basically what I am trying to say here is we need to calm down about Christmas. It is the best holiday season of the year but it needs to wait its turn. I know everyone is excited, trust me I am too, but its only November, we have time. Either way let’s all get ready for the holiday season. J

Work Load in High School

We have all had that moment, “oh my god, I have a paper due in a week, a test on Monday, and three different assignments due tomorrow.” We all stress out about how much homework we have at least once a week. Teachers give so much homework each night and it seems like you will never get it all done. You curse the person who ever thought up the term “homework”.  

So many teens can relate to the fact that we get too much homework a night. Not many teachers think about the fact that you have at least 5 other classes with homework too. It gets really hard to juggle it all. Many students stay up till 2 AM or so just to finish all the homework they have. Most students have some sort of after school activities like sports, clubs, show choir, or work. They do not have enough time to get all they need done.

Many teachers would say to just manage your time and you will get it all done. I do believe time management is great and needed but it is not helpful when there is just not enough time for all that work.

With the huge workload teens develop stress levels that can affect their health. Students could become very tired, depressed, less motivated, even make some feel sick. All this could make them feel like they can’t work so they get even more stressed so it’s a cycle. Stress can be good for a student but if it gets to these levels, it can be destructive.

Many people believe students need to reduce their classes so they have less of a workload. That doesn’t always work out though. Students only have four years to get all the education they need before college. With some of the requirements they have for colleges, they can’t afford to cut down.

Right now I’m not really sure of a solution for the heavy workloads. All I know is, it’s not good for us students and something needs to change.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/12/02/246599742/school-stress-takes-a-toll-on-health-teens-and-parents-say

Relationships As a Teen

In high school it almost seems like a rite of passage to start dating. Everyone begins to pair off and some people may not be able to find anyone. Your best friends seem to only care about boys now and you just don’t understand. Or you may be noticing boys but they don’t seem to be noticing you. I’m here to tell you that you really don’t need a relationship in high school. It may seem all fun and rainbows but in reality it’s a lot of work.

You may see the couples around school and think it’s always happy and cute. It’s not. Ever heard the saying “you never know what happens behind closed doors.”  That fits really well in this situation. You don’t know what a person’s relationship is really like unless it is yours. The couple you see walking in the hallways, holding hands, might be having screaming fights on the phone every night. The girl being hugged by her boyfriend might be getting abused. Some couples may seem very happy and they probably are, but there could be a lot of problems.

Another huge point of not needing a relationship; you need to focus on yourself. High is a time to figure out who you are and explore yourself. You should be trying clubs, musicals, sports, AP classes and tons of other stuff. Have fun, meet new people, and figure out what you want in life before you worry about someone else. You don’t need to focus your time on anyone but yourself.

Just recently my friend and I broke up with our boyfriends. We both realized we needed time to ourselves. Right now we are living the single life and really liking it. We are able to do what we want and talk to whoever without worrying about another person in our life. We were both sad to see our relationships end but now we are able to have fun and explore who we are.

All I’m going to say is; you do not need to find love during high school. Chances are you probably won’t. We are all too young to fully understand what love is. So right now, have fun, flirt with people, and don’t take the need to date too seriously. You can worry about love and relationships when you’re older. Right now, it doesn’t matter.

Peer Pressure

Peer Pressure

When you start high school everything seems so new and huge. There are tons of new people, new changes, and new experiences. I’m not going to tell you some cliché stuff about high school being “the best years of your life” because that really isn’t true. These 4 years could be great or terrible, it all depends on the choices you make and whether they are your own. You should never give into peer pressure.

Peer pressure is when your peers, in a group or as individuals, try to pressure you into doing something you are not necessarily comfortable with. Most people give in to the pressure because they want to fit in and seem cool. I am here to say, you do not need to change yourself to fit in. If you have to change who you are to fit in with certain people, than they’re really not worth your time.

Peer pressure can be about anything. Whether it’s about drinking, sex, drugs or even just relationships, it’s never fun to be pressured into things you aren’t fully comfortable with. You need to know what your values are and have strong morals to be able to go against pressure. Many people are not fully sure what they believe so they let others decide for them. You need to make your own decisions that you are comfortable with. Never let anyone else decide how you should live your life.

 I will admit there are a few times when peer pressure can be positive. Many people try to convince their friends to do something good, like try out for the play or talk to their crush. These kind of friends are truly looking out for your well-being and want to help. They don’t want to hurt you, they just want to encourage you. These are the kind of people you want to surround yourself with. Not the ones who want to make you do something you really don’t feel comfortable with.

If you ever feel uncomfortable and pressured in a situation just say no, explain your opinion, and if they still pressure you, leave. You do not have to be forced to stay in a situation where you feel unwelcome. Never give in to peer pressure, make your own decisions, it’s your life, not your friends.