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This is for all you girls who are on Struggle Street - struggling with school and exams, having a difficult time with your family, ditched by your friends, dumped by your boyfriend or just down in the dumps. This song always lifts my mood. You'll never be that girl, because you're you. Besides, I think that you'll find being that girl isn't all it's cracked up to be and being you can be pretty darn wonderful - it depends how you look at it.  This week is National Volunteer Week. You're never too young to volunteer. Did you know that volunteers are happier, healthier and sleep better than those who don't volunteer? Your school may have some volunteering programs that it's already involved in. If they don't speak to one of the teachers at your school and see if they can organise something. Or you can check out volunteeringaustralia.org and click on your state to search for volunteer agencies.
I just googled amazing teen and three of the top ten sites listed were port sites. Only three of the top ten sites were about teens doing amazinig things. I believe the Internet is a great resource but sometimes it's a bit like wading through a sewrage treatment plant for a diamond. You can't turn on the radio, television or computer or open a magazine without being confronted by sex. Some of the music videos and advertisements are soft porn. As renowned psychologist, Dr Michael Gregg-Carr pointed out, sex is not a sport. Danielle Miller, in her book, The Girl with the Butterfly Tattoo, pointed out that "researches have found that exposure to sexualised imagery is linked to teens feeling increased anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, body image problems, eating disorders and self harm." Don't buy into the lie that you have to be sexy for boys to like you. Use your consumer power (change the channel, don't buy the magazine) to let companies know that it's not okay to portray women as mere sex objects.
Mother's Day is just around the corner. Before you groan and roll your eyes, remember that your Mum was a teenage girl once too. How much of your Mum's story do you know? Who was her best friend in high school? What was her favourite subject? Who was her crush? What were her dreams? You may not realise it, but your Mum might even have some useful advice.
Mums don't mean to nag or ask about your homework (again), any more than teenage girls don't mean to forget to do their Math homework or use 'that' tone. Both parties are trying to navigate unfamiliar territory. Being a teenage girl is difficult - there are raging hormones, a quickly developing body with a slower developing brain, high school and homework, best friends and boy friends and parents to deal with. Being a mother of a teenage girl is not always easy either. They struggle knowing when to hold tight and when to let go, which battles to fight, when to bit their tongue and say nothing, and then how not to give 'that' look while they're busy saying nothing. This Mothers Day, what your Mum probably wants more than anything is to spend some time with you. Give her a chance - even if you think she's pretty messed up, she's probably trying her best. |
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