So I’m another rebellious teenager, it’s a phase, I’ll understand when I’m older, I’m crazy, blah blah blah. Well in realty I don’t care what you think, because I’m entitled to think what I want. I’m also entitled to think differently; my brain is in my head and in no one else but mine. It’s got its own grooves, paths, texture, and it’s not the same as yours or as anyone else’s. I decided to address the fact that our constitution teaches freedom yet the tyranny of conservative parents is still reigning. No Im not going to be snarking the government, this one is for the parents. I doubt I’m the only one feeling stuck in a box, though we’re all trapped for different reasons. With the little freedom I still have left, I’d just like to write about a few things that may seem silly or that you may learn from. Let’s start with something random, shall we? Nose piercings. I’ve never understood why its such a big deal if someone wants to pierce their nose? It’s THEIR nose. “Oh look at her she must be sooo badass with that piece of metal in her nose” has anyone ever truly looked at a person with their nose pierced and thought that? If they have aren’t they just teaching their kids to be judgmental of people? Piercings, tattoos, they’ve all been given such a bad rap. And im sure millions of people have spoken and feel the same way. I was once told “your body is your own personal canvas” it’s a blank slate waiting for you to fill it every day. If you’re going to end up piercing and tattooing yourself when you’re 18 anyway then what’s the point of the wait besides a hell of allot of tension between you and the formally mentioned conservative parents. Why can’t we be free to even speak out for who we are? Maybe that’s why the whole “figuring out who you are” stage is so much harder, because we don’t have to the liberty to do just that. Now darling parents don’t get your panties all in a wad just yet. You can’t let your child do ANYTHING and everything, right? Make them pay for their own piercing or tattoo, if you at least want to teach them a lesson like maturity and reality. You might even discourage them from getting something so “defiant” if they have to dish out their own cash for it. Just a thought. The more you fight a strong minded person, the more they are going to want to do the exact opposite of what you say. It’s a gift and a curse, considering you’re always being motivated but always feeling stuck. Support your teenager’s ambitions, even if they want to be an actor, actress, artist, astronaut, singer, architect, fashion designer, anything. It is one of the biggest choices they will make, and when you choose not to support them even if you don’t agree with what they want to do, it is a huge road block. And for those of you that don’t like what they want to do, at least try to understand it. Don’t belittle it. And then take it a step further and do as much as you can to help them reach that goal. In many interviews I have read there has been a strong parent who has stuck with and behind their kid even when everyone told them they couldn’t make it. Don’t fight their every battle, let them get delve into the world while they are young and their fresh and fit for learning. And to the parents who say “no you can’t” just say, “watch me.” Its cliché, but cliché for a reason. I was recently forced to take down pictures from my own personal blog, because my parent thought it showed too much leg. This is where we step into the conservative parent’s ‘to the extreme’. The body, is beauty. The body was perfectly crafted by God as the most extraordinary work of art and as I mentioned above, the perfect canvas. That being said, my blog is my own platform and should not have to be dictated by my parents. Period. You can disagree, but you are not the one who runs my blog. It disgusted me and caused me to feel so silenced. And this is how so many teenagers feel. We have no way to speak. If we wear something different, draw something weird, like strange stories, dye our hair purple, anything out of the ‘ordinary’ (whatever that is?) we’re shut down by the secret corporate government of parental dictatorship. The young people in this world, the quirky and creative ones, are the ones with the most passion and energy and who have been our past and our future. Our minds are flowering madhouses and can’t be channeled for good if they are closed off. Teenagers deal with this tyranny by cutting, drinking, drugs, and eventually suicide. Don’t silence the voice of your child when it does not belong to you. Never underestimate their power. -Marie
