“A person between the ages of 13 and 19 inclusive” (Dictionary.com)



I looked up “teenager” in the dictionary.
From there: A quantitative definition I now carry
This book was written by adults; bound by guidelines, strictly
Or maybe they just do not remember their experience clearly

It must be one or the other
Still, me, it does bother
Moreover, in me, it stirs anger
For age alone does not sum up a teenager

“Be who you want to be,” we hear consistently
From every friend, teacher, parent, or person who cares undoubtedly
And “Be yourself,” they say next to help
Their point, which is advertised, taught, and translated globally

Our friends make fun of our hopes and goals
They make it out that we’re in joking roles,
Nevertheless, to varied extents, it really does hurt when they laugh at our weaknesses,
And pull out old problems, or exaggerate past messes

We laugh along just to get it to pass faster
Do not waste the energy on fighting the matter
The voice in our head tells the way we really feel
But to be socially acceptable, we just have to deal

With siblings the volume is often much higher
Of these strong voices, our parents do tire
Then directed at them, they take it even worse
The yelling is provoked at times when our freedom seems cursed

Parents demand of us to act how they wish they could
They live through us by planning what really we should
We tend to argue with what they think is best
And make up that they’re wrong about the rest

With our teachers, we know we should speak politely
If we disagree, we should argue nicely
We know we will not get what we want
By blaming them for all their bad spots that we caught

A teenager is a person becoming who they are going to be
For the rest of their lives, no matter if it were how they fantasized they’d be
During this time, other people try to push them around
To mold them, or to even completely re-make them

They are influenced by the voices around them,
And in reacting by using their own; find who they’re supposed to be

Teenagers are expected to be ______,
But teenagers are who they expect themselves to be.