The De-glamorized, Realistic Life Of A Teenager

I was thinking earlier today about growing up and being mature, getting a job, a house, blah blah blah. And then I was thinking, I'm getting ready to move on from teenagehood, and embrace adult life, but I haven't had the teenage experience I spent a lot of my child years craving. in fact, being a teenager have been the worst years of my life. Teenagers are not 'carefree and happy' they're loaded with pressure and expectations. So I thought I'd do a post on why being a teenager really hasn't exactly turned out to be what I was hoping for.

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Starting with high school. I was so excited to go high school, to carry books around with me and to be cute and geeky, to be friends with everyone and participate in class, the presentations, the inside jokes with different classes... But really high school is place where if you're not rich or popular -get out. Teachers hate the unpopular kids, students hate the unpopular kids. People turn against their best friends just to be on top, the teachers don't actually teach you anything that comes up in your exams, you're given ridiculous homework that you never know whether to do or not because one week they won't even ask for it and the next week you'll be given three different detentions because missed the last question... And being popular isn't what it's made out to be.

Partying. House parties where what my childhood dreams were made of! Red cups, table football, loud music, drunk people everywhere.. But I don't actually know anyone who has ever threw a house party. 14 year olds would however, get 'wasted' with their parent's alcohol on that dodgy park in that dodgy area and get 'fingered' (horrible word) by their best friend's boyfriend ..at the age of 14. Looking back on that now is terrifying and I'm so glad my mum never let me go.

I was supposed to have tons of friends - and I did at one point, but none of them were actually real friends. We were supposed to go shopping and have adventures late at night, and see that new movie, and then that new band that '_ _ _ _' hooked up with would come back in town. We were supposed to tell all our secrets over Ben&Jerrys and The Notebook. 

I've learnt it's better to have one true friend and a few close friends, and when we spend time together we're mainly on our phones, we don't hang out on parks, we rarely go shopping, or see that new film... Sleepovers aren't giggly makeovers with popcorn and boyish conversations. It's 'omg why aren't I married to Michael Clifford, have you seen his stubble recently!?!?!' but I wouldn't actually have it any other way. Except I would like to leave my house more.

When I was a kid I said I'd join the gym as a teenager, I'd be skinny and look like Taylor Swift and Vanessa Hudgens. Now I'm still battling my weight, I'm scared of joining the gym because it's for fit people, not fat people (as other people think), and I can't go for morning runs because people might see me. And that exercise routine? Isn't as easy as it looks. It hurts. It burns. Your lungs will be fire. 

Oh and I was going to have that long perfect curly hair and gorgeous makeup and I'll look perfect all the time because 'OMG no one can see me without makeup!!' but my hair never did grow, and I sleep in too long to have time to do my makeup, I don't really mind if people see my bare face, I don't have the best clothes, I don't wake up at 6am and shower every morning and smell like my perfume all day. (Sorry boys)

Boys.. Where exactly is my teenage romance? I've had a few boyfriends sure, but they were just something to do. We weren't cute and Tumblr, they only wanted one thing, and when you're under aged and not ready, well you're just not worth it. (Although I am proud I was one of those girls who stuck to her morals and told boys exactly how the hell it's going to go).

I've fell for boys so much it hurts, and that's as far it got, hurtful. I fell deep for two different boys, one got a girlfriend who was the complete opposite of me, and the other strung me along and used me in literally every way possible. Love isn't a real thing when you're young.

Being a teenager was supposed to be fun. But it's about puberty, feelings, wanting to party and experiment and be popular, and having to deal with all these things at once. As well as being expected at such a young age, to know just exactly what you what to be when you grow up. 

But it's not all bad. It's just a journey. I've learnt what kind of boys to stay away from, I know how to identify real friends, I've learnt how to treat people, I've learnt that to be yourself is the most important thing you can do. I was so fake in school. I used to pull my skirt up too high so the popular girls would know I was just like them, I held my head up high and laughed loud and I'd show off.. but that wasn't me. I'm a quiet content girl with a bubbly personality, and I now know that I don't want to be friends with people who wear their skirts too short, because I'd have nothing in common with them. I know now that I need friends who inspire me everyday and who get my humor and god awful sarcasm, and people I can sit down and have intelligent conversations with. Because why make friends anyone else who isn't exactly perfect for you as an individual?

Shaan x