Can we Spare a Thought for Our Youth

November 11 is the day that many throughout the world remember the brave and the fallen that have fought the many endless battles on behalf of our governments who send them.

But I’d like us all to spare a thought too for another group of people in our global community that are also fighting a constant battle – and that’s our youth!!!

I know that for those of you who have raised or are raising teenagers, what a challenge this can be and you most likely feel at times that you are the ‘enemy’ in this battle of their's. But take a moment to think about what their battle looks like:

· Their stuff- Yesterday your teenager was a child, just doing all the things that a child does without responsibility, pressure or knowledge of adult life. Today, their brain suddenly, without build up or warning flooded their bodies with hormones that not only changed the way they look, but changed the way they feel and think. And now that this ‘change’ has occurred the teenager thinks they have become all knowing and invincible! – But of course they are frightened and fearful about what’s happening to them because emotionally they are the same child that they were yesterday.

· Your stuff – Yes now that they are teenagers you stoped treating them like children and they get to know exactly how hard you work to pay their bills, and that you are tired and stressed and your life and relationships are hard and that you actually have your own ‘life’ changes going on too. Now we share this load with our teenagers (even if it is vicariously through our words and actions) - who yesterday we shielded from this reality because they were children!

· Peer stuff – This is where the battle gets really vicious and ugly because our teenagers, who yesterday were children, need to become magazine models, sports stars, academic genius’, have to have ‘relationships’ and be popular, own every latest piece of technology, keep up with every fashion shift etc,. Meanwhile there is pressure to engage in risky behaviour with sex, drugs, alcohol and rebellion. They become merciless bullies or are mercilessly bullied. Not to mention the symptoms of battle fatigue; anorexia, bulimia, self-mutilation, depression and anxiety……

It isn’t any wonder that at times they react immaturely and are uncooperative, emotional, unhappy, rebellious, confused and angry. All of this is happening to our teenagers who yesterday were our children and the day before that our babies.

Can we just spare a thought for their ‘reality’ and support them as best we can through their battle – just sayin’

P.S These are only some of the things that our teenagers have to contend with and this is assuming they are living in safety, with families that love them and our not in countries at war or in poverty or are affected by the various crisis impacting on our globe today.