The truth is, or what we believe is the truth, that nowadays 20 year olds or even younger teenagers are the most life experienced. Just under 20 years of age, they have managed to gain experience in a wide range of situations much sooner than the older generations ever did. This led them to learn and get accustomed to specific traits at a very young age. Here are a few of the things teenagers learned so early on:
How to be Alone, Thus, Independent
It is very common nowadays to see teenagers move out of their family homes to study abroad. It is not that they are unappreciative of their parents and their efforts, it is more about wanting to live alone and be independent. Our generation has grown to learn that being alone is inevitable. They begin to realize that through the constant abandonment and recurring dumping. As a result, they thrive to depend on themselves.
The Importance of Friendship
Of course, we do not doubt that past generations value friendships, however, we believe that this generation takes friendship to a whole new level. Back in the day, friends were companions who just helped give a good time. Today, a friend is so much more than a companion. A friend is the typical representation of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. The phrase “not friend, but chosen family” is more effective now than then. No matter boy or girl, our friends are now very significant parts of our lives.
To Question Everything and Trust No One
Throughout our short lives, so many people have betrayed our trust. Friends, boy/girlfriends, and just random people whom we happen to interact with. Back in the day, people didn’t screw people over, they didn’t cheat on their girl/boyfriends with their best friends. In light of experiences like that, we learned to stop trusting people in general.
Emotional Maturity
Emotional maturity is of course a character trait that many have, however, in teenagers’ case, we had to learn it rather than be born with it. Lately, we hear about teenagers losing their parents more often than our parents had heard before. We’ve gone through cancer battles, sudden deaths, and dreadful accidents that shook us.
How to Deal with a Broken Heart
In complete honesty, this generation is far more experienced with relationship trouble and agonizing occurrences than any generation before. When it comes to relationships and friendships, we’ve seen more than our fair share as well. People nowadays treat each other in horrible ways that no one has ever seen before. From our significant others cheating on us to our best friends screwing us over, we’ve definitely seen enough to last us over the twenty years we’ve (almost) lived.
Millennials are proving to be more understanding and more exposed to the world than the teenagers before them. They have learned 40 years worth of lessons in only 20. Surely a journey!
