It’s that time again. You know the one that I mean. The one where you fight with yourself for fifteen minutes, then at the last possible second you get out of bed and rush yourself to get ready for school. Maybe you’re not rushing anymore. Maybe you’re past that point and at the one where going to school doesn’t even matter to you. Trust me, it will. I’m not saying “Go to school, get a great education.” That’s not what I’m about. If you want to go to college or university, great. If not, that’s fine to. I won’t lie, half of the things that they teach you in school you’re probably never going to use again. But that doesn’t mean don’t go. This is where all of your social skills are built. How you interact with people is what life is all about. You could never get anywhere without interacting with someone or something else.
I know I know, it’s hard to make yourself go to school, sit in a classroom and listen to the teacher go on and on. I know you don’t believe me right now, just as I didn’t believe the people who told me when I was in your shoes, but you’ll miss it once you’re out. It sounds silly but it’s true.
Junior High and High school aren’t fun. This, I know. I know what it’s like to get up every day wishing that I didn’t have to. That I could just stay in bed all day and do nothing. That’s how I felt, like nothing. I would get up and walk to school, dreading having to sit there all day and listen to some teacher ramble on and on about how the ozone layer is effecting our environment. I didn’t really care much. Instead, I would sit at my desk with my head down writing poems about how my life was so horrible. To me, it really was.
I didn’t have a lot of people to talk to. I had friends, sure, but I didn’t want to lay all of my problems on them, plus I honestly didn’t think that they cared that much. I can’t tell you that I still talk to these people. When I see them on the street I’ll say hello, but that’s as far as it goes. I have no wanting to remember those times.
Being a teen could have been fun for me. It was supposed to be fun. And it can be fun. If you let it. There are a lot of teens out there who aren’t enjoying themselves, or are pretending that they are when really, it’s all a show. Many teens walk around with a black cloud hanging over their head, and unless they’ve said something to you, chance are that you don’t even know.
There is too much stress these days being put on teens. You have to deal with friends, parents, teachers, friend’s parents, dating, and many other things. That’s a lot for a person to handle. And as hard as this is to do, don’t worry about it. Don’t put stress on yourself that is unnecessary, it can be harmful to yourself, and can lead to depression. In this book, we’ll look at many things you deal with in everyday life including everyone we mentioned before, as well as yourself. Because you choose what you become, and in order to do that, you need to know who you are. There will be information for you in this book, along with poems and stories dealing with different situations. This isn’t your usual “self-help” book. This is designed for you to enjoy, but also learn from.
