To, All those teenagers out there desperate to grow up!

It has become my knowledge that many teenagers out there in the big,wide world are in seek to find their latter years.  I know this because they share the same views as I did when I was roughly 13-15.  I had become sick and tired of education, sitting in the classroom, listening to my Geography teacher drone on about rock formation etc, thinking to myself “Why do I need to know this when I am all grown up?” and whilst my math teacher was explaining the way to solve equations, I used to think “Boring. I will not need to know this unless I become a Math teacher myself. So why do I care?”

The same questions used to plague my mind the whole way through secondary school until it came to my GCSE’s and I wished then, that I had listened!!! Do not get me wrong, I passed my GCSE’s, but not aswell as I should have done. I was too busy dreaming about Mr.Pryde and urging to grow up.  I just wanted to reach the age of adulthood, so I could drink and party, earn money, drive/own a car. All the sort of stuff, every teenager wishes for one time or another.

Oh, as I sit here now reflecting on the desire I had to grow up, it plagues me to say “I wish I was back at school!”  The school that I was so desperate to kick to the kurb and get out there and earn money.  I can hear so many of you teenagers out there right now, sat at your school desk with a bored look on your face as your Science teacher drones on and on about The Periodic Table, thinking exactly the same as me “I cannot wait to get out of this hell hole and into the big wide world!”

I remember it plain as day and I rememeber saying to my mum “I hate school, I cannot wait to leave, I will not miss it one bit!”  And she told me the same thing as what I am going to tell you right now-

“Yes you will. School is the best days of your life, do not waste them moaning that you hate it and want to leave. As once you have sampled a taste of the real world, you will wish to be back in school. Trust me!”

Oh how I speak the truth.  Why should we be in a rush to grow up and out of scholl anyway?  Put behind our school mates, who we spent five days a week with for 12+ years.  Who we shared a laugh with, who held our hands and wiped away our tears.  Why??? Because we think adulthood is much better than childhood right.  Because their are no rules, we can come home when we want. If we do not want to go to work we do not have to, if we want to eat 6 packets of crisps we can, etc, etc, etc!!!  That is all correct yes, we can do all those things, if we do not mind going short of money one month, or if we do not mind becoming over weight or if we do not mind sleeping in and being late for work or whatever!!! That is all fine, but is that really how we would want our children to be if we go on to have them? Because I know I want my son not to be that way.

Shall I give a small sample of adulthood;

Ok, so you are what 21, been in a fulltime job for three years or so and you now feel trapped still living with parents.  So you decide to move out and rent somewhere with your friend.  You move in somewhere that is fully furnished, so you do not have to buy any furniture, washing machine, refrigerator or cooker. That is great that will save me so much money.  You take your bed that your parents bought you and your wardrobe too.  So all you really need to buy is your food every week right? That is easy, so you go do a grocery shop, you put in all the food you dreamed of buying, put it on the conevyor belt at the checkout, bag it all up and then it comes to paying. “That will be £69 please?”  What, you think to yourself as you look at your trolley which is filled with only 5 bags tops. Ok that is fine I can afford that sure.  So you pay with your chip and pin card and be on your way.  You notice as you start your car up that the orange light shows on the petrol counter.  So you fill your car up and that costs £45.  So already, one day in the big wide world, you have paid out £114 in just one hour!!!  You get home and your friend passes yo two pieces of paper.  “What is this?” You ask and the friend replies “Council tax, we have to opt how to pay.  You look down at the paper and it reads;

“Council tax for the year £1030.”  It gives you an option to pay it all now, monthly or weekly. So you opt with your friend to do monthly, which is just under £100 a month, so split it into 2, that is £50 give or take.  Then you realise that you have to set up Gas, Electric, TV licence and water.  Gas and Electric you opt to do monthly, Gas is about £30 a month, Electric £40 and TV licence is £35 quarterly and you will settle your water bill as it comes in every 4 months or so.  So that is another £50+ a month you have to put toward your weekly shop, which over a month will be over £200, your petrol which will be over £100 a month and council tax which is as I have stated £50 a month, give or take.  Then you realise you have to pay your £275 a month toward the rent, not forgetting the £10 a month toward your share of Broadband and £25 a month toward the Sky you decided would be cool to have!!!  So all of a sudden your £1000 pay check every month has dwindled down to about less than £300 left to yourself, in which has to go toward your car insurance, tax every year, the MOT, nights out and oh yes I forgot; clothing yourself!!! All these things that you took for granted when living at home, because you never had to pay rent or bills or for food.  All your money went on was your car and, oh yes YOU!” Not forgetting that you have to learn to cook all those groceries you bought earlier!

So teenagers all across the border-

Are your sure you want to hurry up and grow up? Because I sure as hell wish I never!!!