There are some things we teens do which aren’t exactly offences. The judge in these cases is the parent, guardian or elder. Their judgment rarely gives the teenager a chance to defend their side of the story. These are some personal observations based on my experience.

When we’re hooked on Facebook, it’s because we want to keep in touch. Dear parents, you didn’t have this facility in your days…we’re told you needed to foot 100km to get in touch with family and friends.

When we hang out, that is exactly what we’re doing—catching up on the news and events, exchanging gossip, trying to make something out of our ‘no plans’ and generally having a good time. You parents actually also do this having a drink after work, meeting up on free afternoons.

You might think our dressing habits are too tough, e.g. Jewelry, torn jeans or the trousers on their way to the floor, but may be the problem isn’t with us… we’re only catching up on the latest styles.

And even if you ask your teen, they’ll agree with me when I say, may be the ‘mother Theresa/arch bishop of Canterbury dress code’ is no longer international. Why not embrace the change too, believe me; they’ll be excited to help!  

If you think we waste money on photographs, in cafes, on airtime, simply find out whether you remember the last time you directly provided money for these essentials, you’ll probably find you don’t.

Ask yourself where they’ll come from if nobody budgets for them. You know, we feel we MUST have them and we’ll acquire them somehow even if it means calling up a friend. That phone you bought needs airtime to keep me in touch and styled up!

When we come home late, time just caught us. We’d want to be home early. But if you feel early means 4; 00 p.m, honestly… even chickens are still hanging out at that time.

When we delay while dressing up, please understand that we don’t want to be rushed through beauty; we want to take our time just like you did at our age. When we don’t wake up at 6:00 a.m, we’re not lazy, we’re just covering for the many early morning wake up’s at school.

Teens, we also need to remember a few tips;

• Too much of anything is always bad!
• Prevention is better than cure; be on the lookout for possible trouble.
• The oldies have a wealth of wisdom from experience; listen to them and learn.

• Remember "I am sorry” can freeze the hottest conflict.
• Most importantly! Keep focused on that mission—academic excellence and the struggle for it!

The author is a S.6 student at Riviera High School.