When you’re a teenager, you want to get out of your parents’ house as fast as possible so you can start being a real adult!
You want to drive, get your own apartment, stay up as late as you want, etc. And then, once you do start adulting…you quickly learn that it can be pretty tough and that you’d do just about anything for a home-cooked meal from Mom once in a while…
My point: teenagers shouldn’t be in such a huge hurry to grow up and they should absolutely do as many things as they can before the real responsibilities hit them.
Adults dished out some advice to teenagers on AskReddit that we think they should definitely pay attention to.
1. Just be young!
“Stay up all night with friends.
Look at the stars. Eat food in a Denny’s at 3AM and just revel in your youth.”
2. Totally essential.
“Road trip! Maybe a little harder to do now with covid.
But cramming 4 teenagers in a car and road tripping to another state? Awesome. Bonus points for an event or an entirely stupid reason.
I once went along 15 hours away so my buddy could meet an online friend. That didn’t pan out, but I did get to tour Kalamazoo, Michigan. Go to the Kellogg’s factory, its awesome.”
3. This is good.
“Talk with your elders. Your grandparents, your elderly neighbor, aunts and uncles, rest home folks, etc.
Especially with family, ask about their parents and siblings and what family history they know. Go through that box of old family pictures together. Take notes. Your elders won’t be around forever and they will offer a window to the not-so-distant past when things were similar yet very different.
It’s one of those things you may not think much about now, but will really come to appreciate with age.”
4. Words of wisdom.
“Learn what it’s like to be by yourself, do nothing, and be absolutely okay with it.
Go camping by yourself for a weekend, take a car trip to nowhere alone, go to movies and dinner solo. Once you can cross “know yourself and be okay with it” off your list, you are empowered to do what you want.
You can remove toxic people, leave abusive relationships, and know who you are…Most people never learn it, and a lot of people will forever be dependent on other people for their life.
Learn who you are, learn to accept who you are, for you, and the rest of your bucket list is simple.”
5. Something to think about.
“Learn how to be lazy while being productive.
I’ve learned that working smart is more difficult than working hard.
Once you start mastering that, life ‘could’ get a bit easier and gives you ample time to live rather than getting bogged down in just work/career.”
6. A big adventure.
“My dad told me, my brother, and my buddy to go hike the Appalachian trail before college.
I really wish I had taken that advice.”
7. Learn it early!
“Learn how to change a tire.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stranded because of this and it makes you feel so accomplished afterward.”
8. That’s very specific, but okay.
“Hop on a random cargo train, ride it for a while.
Call your cousin Troy from a pay phone to pick you up.
Pay him in weed.”
9. Do it your way.
“Don’t be a people pleaser and don’t be afraid to tell someone to f*ck off.
10. Good tip.
“Learn to use the more boring end of computers.
The guy who can type fast and use spreadsheets is going to be worth hiring over the guy who can speed run Minecraft or 420 dankscope out of a helo.”
11. A little bit of everything.
“Try everything.
Take dance classes. Try to learn an instrument. Try running. Play a sport. Try rock climbing.
Go ice skating. Listen to music. Learn a language.”
12. Enjoy it while you can.
“I can’t stress how much you’ll one day “realize” that these years are NEVER coming back. You’ll spend almost 75 years (maybe by then, even longer than that) being older than 25. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
I totally understand that the time frame you’re in can feel like a lifetime – simply because these 13 – 19 years so far have been you’re entire lifetime. I cannot stress how fast it will transition from “lifetime” to “5 minutes”.
And only then when you finally get it, will be the same moment you realize that the years are already gone. That first time through was the only chance you’ll ever get. There’s no repeating, no “understanding it all” and making it better the next time, it happened once and gone forever.
Do Everything you hope to someday take a shot at. Just f*cking do it. The years are never coming back.”
13. Just say yes.
“Say yes to just about everything you’re invited to do. Trust me. Even if you think you may have nothing to gain, there is always something to gain.
It’s not far off to think of life as a video game and your character having progression. Every time you’re invited to something, you’re being offered a quest, and there will always be experience points awarded for completing that quest. Sometimes you’ll get physical rewards too.
Go on enough of these quests in high school, and by the time you graduate you’ll be a higher level than anyone else your age. It helps a lot to be properly leveled when you reach college.”
What do you think teenagers should do before they become full-blown adults?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
We’d love to hear from you!
