Getting involved sexually as a teenager can only make your life more confusing and difficult.

Yes, I agree with this. Many believe that boys and girls have different emotions regarding the matter but the initial reaction is the same. You have that “What didta I just do?” moment and it does take a moment to sink in and realize that you have lost something you can’t have again. After the initial “shock” well, boys will be boys and a boy became a man. I cannot speak for women however but for me, the experience boosted my confidence, as it would for any guy. There’s just that issue of being safe.

Experiencing new things helps teenagers develop emotionally and intellectually in ways that reading a book can never match.

I think that this is true for people of all ages. However, the teenage years are the most crucial when it comes to emotional and intellectual development. For me, it is important that a teenager experiences new things, both good and bad for it builds character. Experience is and will always be the best teacher. Being exposed to reality and real life gives one the knowledge that a book can never give. Being street smart will take you to farther places than being just book smart. But it does pay to read. Book smarts coupled with street smarts make a force to be reckoned with. 

If adults really knew what happened at teenage parties, they would be shocked.

This really depends on the situation (and how understanding your parents are). Older parents of teenagers have a bigger age difference from their children compared to younger parents. Younger parents seem to be more understanding and open-minded to what their kids are doing at parties. However, this IS the Philippines and we were all brought up with the norms that we should act “accordingly and properly.” All parents would be shocked at what REALLY happens at teenage parties but younger parents might be able to cope up fairly quickly. Again, it all depends on the situation. Besides, we’ve all heard them say one of these lines before: “Niagi nami ana sauna,” or “Lahi ra gyud tong amo sauna.”

Your first serious kiss should be with someone you truly love.

I think it should be, but should is not a powerful word. It would be great if your first kiss would be with someone you have feelings for but it doesn’t always turn out that way. Numerous circumstances block you from doing so. Nowadays, teenagers kiss whoever they want and say that they’re in love. But who’s to say that what they’re feeling is true love not just some fancy fling. One can never tell when he or she is about to have that first serious kiss. It always goes exactly the way you expect it. You’re lucky if it turns out to be sweet, emotional and magical. But it always ends up being sloppy and messy and awkward.

The dangers of drug use by teenagers are exaggerated.

I have to be honest I did have a hard time understanding this statement. However, I will explain my opinion based on how I understood it. I think that teenagers nowadays have the ability and the technology to gain easy access to dangerous drugs. For me, they have finally found that “freedom” that they are looking for trying anything and everything for the first, second, third time just to show that they can. This makes it way more dangerous to them and their families. They become caged animals that have been just released into the wild. 

Adults forget what the intensity of a crush is like for a teenager.

I’d like to think that I’m an adult now, and as sad as it may appear, I may have forgotten the impact and intensity of a crush during those crucial teen years. I have missed the feeling when your skin touches even the slightest bit of your crush’s and the whole world seems to have stopped. All you felt were the palpitations in your chest and all those other indescribable feelings that would no longer come as often when you grow up. These feelings, the giddiness, the kilig, come when a kid undergoes the emotions of a pseudo-adult. Even now, I am having a hard time describing those feelings because it has been a while since I felt that same intensity. Adults should never forget those feelings. However, we have to. This isn’t Neverland. 

             

Learning how to make friends is more difficult in high school than it is in college.

I was a new student in high school. I say that meaning I came from a different elementary school and most of my classmates were from Silliman University Elementary School. Silliman High School gave me a new perspective and turned me from a Silent Sam to a Talkative Tom. Almost everyone I knew was outgoing so I grew up to be one as well. Even though I was new, it had never been difficult for me to reach out to people and make loads of new friends. I was the quiet type, but I was friendly. It was the same when I got into college, although the people were more mature. I think it was a bonus that I had different classmates every day, adding to the friends I had. Moreover, I learned that true friends made in high school should be treasured even if your circle of friends grows bigger. 

Freely expressing your hopes and fears in the letters, notes, Facebook, blogs, or e-mails allows you to connect with others and heal the problems that challenge you.

I have never been a fan of writing since I feel that my writing skills were nonexistent. However, I agree with this statement since the actual moment that one releases his hopes and fears is the first step in coping up with problems and challenges. Through these forms of communication, I am able to say what I do not have the strength to say in person. Blogs and other networking sites also enable me to see that I am not the only person in the world dealing with such fears and hopes. There are people who have bigger dreams with even bigger problems. Connecting with them gives me the “push” I need to grow up and accept the things that come my way.

Feeling you are alone in the world with nowhere to turn for support is a normal part of being a teenager.

I agree with this statement. When I was a teenager, I went through the usual problems of being one – love life, peer pressure, constant temptations amongst high expectations. During that time, no matter how shallow the problems were as they now seem, I had that burning desire to rebel and rebel I did. I skipped classes and I never listened to anyone’s advice since nobody understood me in my view. In my eyes, no one was there to help me even though I had loads of support from my family. It was very immature to feel that I was alone in the world, yet it seemed normal, because the only voice I listened to was my own. Support, whether it existed or not, did not matter.