A note to teens...

You only go once through this passage and that is teenage. It is a collective process of certain years and the most difficult ones probably could be the transition ones right at the beginning of the passage.

That is the time they want to be established and create an image but there is turmoil internally for not knowing what exactly is that they want. Teenagers want to be accepted but they don’t realise they are still evolving and there is time. But they are in a hurry and want to achieve quickly. The aggressive ones will pull down others not realising everyone is on their journey. Some will suffer and struggle but they will shine later as they are stretched beyond the comfort zone.

There is no easy way out because they have to go through this process to be flexible and stretchable in the next phase. So now it is not just about getting out of the comfort of home and step into nursery. It is not about being challenged in the classrooms, it is about dealing with moments interacting with others in the playground, in the classrooms, in the cafeteria and so on. The lucky ones will have empathetic teachers and friends.

Yes, at this stage of life having empathetic teachers make all the difference. The teens are going to be the future citizens and members of the society. They are in the process of going through the mold. They will learn from observing and copying and finally choosing on their own what they want to be in life. Yes it has to be their own choice because they are the ones to live their life. We simply cannot be in their shoes because our time was on another zone, our conversations were different, the prerequisites were part of another list.

But now more than ever we need to hold onto values. Because everything else can be destroyed to taken away but not our values. There is a comfort in knowing that you have done the right thing in life. The right thing, however will depend on our values.

And what happens when a teenager is hurting because he/she finds it challenging to fit in before sailing off?

Teenagers are expected to rebel, look away and find new ways to take the path they want. And so often they want to give up on what they have to fulfill to prove their worth. Go slow, bloom at your pace and find yourself.

Leona Ruth Wellington teaches at the university level and has her expertise in English language but she has immense experience in dealing with students no matter what their age. She is not only a teacher but also an educator. She is concerned about the overall development of a student.

This is what she has to say to students who sometimes feel like giving up, “Tell them that they just have to go over this last bridge to finish the schooling. They must be brave and do it because if they don’t do it they would just hurt themselves.”

Emotions can be strong and these feelings can sometimes go and store in the form of anger and they just find themselves heavy to move forward and the fact is it can only be done if they can forgive. If not what can the teens do?

“They would just have to find ways to practice kindness with others,” she had explained.

Trust me teenagers you will pass this too. This is just another test - a lengthy class test. No amount of tuition classes can prepare you for this except lot of kindness.

Kindness to receive and give. At this point of life there is a lot of ‘I’ talk in the mind. That’s fine as we want to find ourselves. But balancing is important while crossing the river. Life is never in the same momentum and we will even find ourselves turning out to be stronger and stronger and soon you would be looking back and wondering what on earth were you worried about. But this is the time to build yourself up in knowledge and abilities, but the fact is soon you will find out it is a fabulous idea to be a student for life. But then one has to take up responsibility and soon would have to be a decision maker and that is when you realise all your observations in life matter.

The most important part to remember is success comes with sacrifice, and when you practice kindness to others don’t forget to be kind to yourself.

Enjoy blooming.