Kids? Teens? Adults?

There is a lot of conflict and confusion by being defined as an adolescent. The article we read about adolescence showed the idea that society puts us in a crazy state of being because were not children, but were not yet adults. But we are adults biologically in many ways. There are some things that we are given the opportunity to have adult status and not others. Some examples of the things we are given the opportunity to do is driving and getting jobs. But even with that we are still treated like kids. When we drive we have to get hours and once we get our licenses we have rules like having one person in the car for a year. When you get your license when you are 18 you dont have to follow any of those rules. When your 18 you can get a job. But when your under 16 you need a workers permit. There are other things adults do that we cant. aka drinking and smoking. at 17 you have many adult responsibilitys and then at 18 you can smoke. But even when society sees you as an adult you still cant even drink until your 21. So when do we actually become adults? At 18 is when society sees you as an adult and legally you are an adult. But there still isnt things you can do. So really what is the timline between being a kid, a teen, an adolescence and finally being an adult?

Besides family, my friends are one the most significant groups in my life. They affect a lot of the things. They influence things in my life. A lot of my friends are very outgoing and have positive attitudes which makes my personality a lot like them. Most of my close group of friends at Stevenson make good choices regarding certain things and that makes it easy to be in our group. however, i do have some close friends here and at other schools that don't make amazing decisions regarding certain things. I am not influenced by all that crap. i make my own decisions. The way I look at life is like my friends in the way that they live life to the fullest. I like adventure and not all of my close friends like that so my other friends are up for adventures. Sometimes I'm not always up to what they have in mind, but they influence me and encourage me to be adventurous. Woo :-)

Just Keep Swimming!

There are many examples of water in my life and the lives of Americans today. Material Culture and technology sometimes is overbearing as compared to simpler times before us, but in today's culture, technology is our water. For example, for me if I don't have my cell phone with me at all times I feel like a fish out of water. Parents and people who didn't have cell phones back in the day dont get why we are so dependant on our technology. It sounds awful but to function most modern day teens need to have their phones and technology to function through the day. It sounds really stuck up sometimes because there are so many teens who aren't fortunate enough to have the things that we sometimes take for granted. Sometimes we need to sit back and really be thankful for the extra things in life and try not to get immersed in material culture.

The way I navigate the water around me is trying not to get immersed. I will admit I do give in to the material/technology things in life but how I adjust is by not taking it for granted. I am thankful for the things that I am fortunate enough to have and im not a brat if I dont get everything I want. Some kids expect things that they dont necessarily need. For example I had a friend who is now in college and he got a 40,000$ car for his 16th birthday. A 16 year old doesn't need a 40,000$ car. Lucky for him hes didnt expect it and he was thankful for it. I watched my Super Sweet 16 on MTV. Let me tell you. Its a nasty show. These brats are some of the most ungrateful, spoiled people ive ever seen. If they dont get every thing they want they flip out. If there daddy gets them a mercedes instead of a bmw there mad. If they dont have 5 different outfits they get angry. Its sick. :-( Sometimes you respond on how you were raised. If you were raised to value things and work hard for things you get then you probably will respond differently then a kid who was handed everything to them in life.

The American values I embrace is to be happy and always follow and achieve my dreams. With those two values it keeps me happy and working hard. The value to be happy helps me in my everyday life. If things go wrong sometimes i get super upset, but when people try to cheer me up it helps. And having a positive outlook on life really makes things easier for you. When your happy sometimes you can make another person happy in the meantime. The value of always following my dreams keeps me motivated when things get hard. I want to be a professional dancer when I grow up. To be a dancer it is waaaayyyy harder then people perceive it to be. You have to train your whole life and work your ass off everyday. You have to sleep, eat, and act like a dancer. Sometimes its rough and you get discouraged but the goal at hand really motivates you to follow and accieve your dreams.

"see the water and learn how to swim happily ever after"

Stevenson Subculture vs American Values

At Stevenson we are a subculture of America. Our values have some similarities and differences of America. For example at Stevenson we are all for freedom of expression through dress...to a point. There are many limitations to that rule as opposed to America you can wear whatever you want to wear...the only limitation is you cant run naked through the streets. In my opinion that is legit. In Stevenson we have our own subcultures like we addressed in our group projects. There are different "groups" such as the Jocks/sporty kids, Punks, Emos, Goth, Preppy, Skaters, etc. But those are just the way we percieve them. They act a certian way and in a way we classify and sterotype them and put a lable on them. Thats not always correct. I am a perfect example of that. My friends say there is no word or sterotype for who I am. which I guess is true. People classify me as a "punk" but thats not who I am and I believe that there is just groups of friends not sterotypes of posses. I hang out with people who dress darker and who dress "preppy" or "gangsta" etc. Yay For Life!

Kids

When we walked into class mr smith was treating us like babies. When he asked a girl if she was sick he gave her candy to make her feel better. He talked to us in a voice that was very child like/ like a little kid teacher. In my gov class my teacher thinks we all are stupid. When we get answers wrong on homework or if we dont give him a super amazing answer he tells us the answer in a really slow child like teacher voice. Its kind of rude. When he was teaching like that I turned to cam and was like were not 5. Sometimes when people treat adults like children it brings them back to when they were young. I believe that people should be treated with respect and treat them how old they actually are. But also if you wanted to be treated with respect you must give respect. Yay!