What you must learn about yourself as a teenager

WHO IS A TEENAGER? Who is a teenager ? believe it or not the fact is you get the word teenager because your AGE ends in the word TEEN.... i don’t think it has to do with puberty.... a girl i know got her period at 10 and she knew she wasn’t a teen yet. and it doesn’t have to do with maturity either... there are some people older than me who act like they’re 10...said the girl when i asked her why. Teenager isn’t really an "opinion" sort of thing its more of a fact... your either 13-19 or your not. A person who can’t remember to walk the dog but never forgets a phone number. A weight watcher who goes on a diet by giving up candy bars before breakfast. A youngster who receives his/her allowance on Monday, spends it on Tuesday, and borrows from his/her best friend on Wednesday. Someone who can hear a song by Madonna played three blocks away but not his mother calling from the next room. A whiz who can operate the latest computer without a lesson but can’t make a bed. A student who will spend 12 minutes studying for her history exam and 12 hours for her driver’s license. A youngster who is well informed about anything he doesn’t have to study. An enthusiast who has the energy to ride a bike for miles, but is usually too tired to dry the dishes. A connoisseur of two kinds of fine music: Loud and Very Loud. A young woman who loves the cat and tolerates her brother. A person who is always late for dinner but always on time for a rock concert. A romantic who never falls in love more than once a week. A budding beauty who never smiles until her braces come off. A boy who can sleep until noon on any Saturday when he suspects the lawn needs mowing. An original thinker who is positive that her mother was never a teenager. Teenagers in the Bible In contrast to that report, it is refreshing to read of teenagers in Bible days who really were the tops. Joseph at the age of 17 was subjected to tremendous pressures. Coming from a large family he had nearly all his brothers against him because of jealousy. He may have attracted some of it by divulging some special dreams that God had given him concerning his future, but he was written off as some 'holy Joe'. They threw him into a pit with murderous intentions, but after second thoughts he was rescued, only to be subjected to further humiliation by being sold as a slave to some Ishmaelite travellers en route for Egypt. He was employed in the Royal household where Potiphar's wife had sexual designs on him. He constantly refused her seductions with the noble protest, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” David, another old Testament teenager, was dubbed a 'stripling' but he proved his utter loyalty when he was in the wilderness caring for the sheep. They were attacked by a bear and a lion. No one would have blamed him if he had made a run for it, but instead he went after them and slew them. Later he volunteered to take on the giant Goliath single¬-handed, much to the amazement of the soldiers. But David was not joking. He said that God was with him and he struck Goliath a knock-out blow with a sling shot. This was possibly the first instance of the use of a guided missile! And what about Josiah? He came to the throne of Judah at the age of eighteen and had a difficult family background. His father Amon and his grand-father Manasseh had both been evil kings, so Josiah was brought up in an environment of wickedness and intrigue, but we read that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Righteousness triumphed over heredity, and it still can. Many young Christians today come into our Churches from most difficult family backgrounds, but they have been transformed by the grace of God. Daniel too was a teenager when his country was over-run by the enemy and he was taken prisoner to Babylon; but even there, away from home influence, he stood firm for his principles, and eventually became a Minister of State. There are strong possibilities too that the Apostles of Jesus were still teenagers when He called them; and Timothy also, the young pastor who worked with the Apostle Paul. So the Bible gives us an impressive list of teenagers who were not mixed up. They knew what they believed; they were committed and they knew where they were going in life. Youngsters who stand for something are not likely to easily fall for anything. Joseph beat sexual temptation, David showed exemplary courage in face of danger. Josiah stood firm on ethics and Daniel demonstrated that integrity need not necessarily stand in the way of promotion. The Apostles and Timothy found the ultimate adventure in the Christian life. What does the expert say about teen child bearing? Today, some observers argue, norms have changed and informal pressure to drop out or otherwise conceal a pregnancy has disappeared.22 Numerous programs are available to help teenage mothers improve their academic skills and raise their children.23 Moreover, high-quality child-care programs may improve children’s academic and social skills.24 To the extent that social pressures, institutional barriers and lack of community supports led young mothers to drop out of school in the past, we would expect changes leading to greater school retention and program enrollment to decrease the effects of an early birth on children’s cognitive development over time. Advantages of Teenage child bearing Some factors associated with early childbearing, however, cannot be measured. Controlling for unobserved factors common to siblings reverses the direction of the effect of a teenage birth, so that children of young mothers do better than children born to older mothers on the vocabulary, math and reading comprehension tests. Researchers have puzzled over these results for some time; the only explanation proposed is that previous studies misestimated the effects of early childbearing because they left out important observed variables, such as maternal ability or birth order,19 or unmeasured family factors.20 We propose, instead, that period effects are the key omitted variables. 2. One qualitative study of young mothers aged 13 to 19, recruited from a health department pediatric clinic in Colorado, concluded that the women interviewed "described having children as a positive force that helped them change their lives from self-destructive pasts toward more productive and hopeful futures. >> Being a teenager isn't easy. Teens can be put under enormous amounts of stress in school, at home, and with friends, and the expectation to be perfect can be crippling. Luckily, teenagers who want to be responsible can find help in lots of help in different places. Being a responsible teenager is all about finding who you are and following a couple simple rules. Talk to elderly person. Learning from an elderly person will help you to be knowledgeable from a different point of view and not make mistakes teenager who are still single makes and of course this elderly person must be someone you trust and has proven him/herself model-able in good character >> Get a job. You know you must not be lazy either in a relationship or not, learning not to depend totally on your parents, this is the mistake lot of people do that even after there teenage, they still find it difficult to fend for themselves…….don’t be a liability. But the job is less important than the attitude you bring with you. If you are smart, engaging, and work hard, your employers will notice. That extra money coming in will be pretty useful too. >> Be health wise • Eat healthy. Avoid excessive junk food and fast food. Try to experiment with eating lots of different fruits and vegetables. • Exercise often. Try to move your body for at least 30 minutes every day. This will make you feel and look better. • Avoid drugs. Drugs can harm your physical and mental development, putting you in serious risk of your life. If you want to be healthy, stay away from drugs. • • Brush your teeth, wash your face, and try not to be dirty. • Experiment with different styles, but always groom. Grooming means taking care of yourself so that you are presentable to other people. 3. Wear clean clothes. This goes hand in hand with maintaining good hygiene. Wearing clean clothes will communicate to other people how confident you are in yourself. Talk with your parents about how often they want the laundry done. You may have to start doing your own laundry. • For job interviews, family gatherings, and other important events, you may want to invest in a nice suit or dress. • Above all else, wear clothes that express who you are. Being responsible doesn't mean dressing a certain way. Being responsible means knowing what's acceptable and fitting your own personal style within that framework. • Be neat and tidy. Keep your room organized. Your parents shouldn't have to clean up after you like maids. Cleaning up after you make a mess says that you're mature and respectful of their time. Only when you do these simple things that you see yourself as a man or a young woman. Either am a teenager or in your 20s, 30s, 40 or more, One question we need to continually ask ourself is One of the burning questions of the ages has been, "How can I get the most out of life?". Each person in each generation must wrestle with this idea. Since God made man and knows what is the best life for him, man should want to know God's advice for the good life. I have selected ten key statements from the Bible which tell one how best to live. 1. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4. Living for this world and its pleasures is a serious mistake. To gain the whole world and lose one's soul is foolish - Luke 9:25. If we sow to the flesh, or to earthly pleasure, we shall reap corruption, or misery - Galatians 6:7-8. Living for God is the better way. We are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26, so we are spiritual beings, who, like God, will live eternally. If we seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness our earthly needs will be supplied . Matthew 6:33. Read Romans 8:28 and Psalms 37:25. 2. Obey your parents in the Lord; honor your father and mother - Eph. 6:1-3. The good life starts early. Obeying parents in the Lord and honoring them with one's life is a way to live well and to live long. 3. It is not good for man to be alone - Genesis 2:18. Human beings were made by God to function best when they have a companion with whom they can share their lives. God intended that a man leave his father and mother and cling to his wife Genesis 2:24. 4. He that will not work, neither let him eat - II Thessalonians 3:10. Since the days of Adam, God has decreed that man must work if he is to eat Genesis 3:19. One cannot be pleased with himself if he does not earn his keep Luke 10:7. 5. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might Ecc. 9:10. Human life at its longest is very short - James 4:14. If one is going to get the most out of life, he must decide what he is going to do and do it with all his might. 6. Think of these things. Read Philippians 4:8. Allowing one's mind to dwell on low, base things will cause one's life to be low and base. Thinking on high and inspiring things will life one up to a high and lofty way of life. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7. 7. Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them Matthew 7:12. There is great satisfaction in loving one's fellow man and giving of self for his good. 8. Give and it will be given unto you - Luke 6:38. The secret of receiving is found in this verse. Jesus said give first and then you shall receive. 9. Take no thought for your life - Matthew 6:25-32. God cares for the flowers, the grass, and the birds. Since we are more valuable than they, God will certainly care for us. We therefore should not spend our time worrying. 10. Christ died for the ungodly - Romans 5:6. Life can be good if it is freed from the guilt of sin through Jesus Christ.