[lil_bit]

Just curious how many people here are teens, sometimes I feel so out of place and young here
lemme know!

[Rio_]

I'm a teen - seventeen, to be precise.

[AlteredState01]

Sorry, lil bit, no luck with me!

Can't says as I would want to be again - well, maybe...

You know? I would think it would be fun to chat with a "kid"! ), but I just figure that I would end up "lecturing you" all the time (Hey, that would be a drag for me, too, 'cause that would mean I'm old enough to lecture you! )

I would HATE to come off that way.

Why DO you feel so young and out of place here? What makes it that way for you?

Wow, I feel crappy for you...

[Rio_]

probably...

At another messageboard I visit, when I first joined teens weren't welcome. It didn't say that in the terms and conditions - you had to be 13 or older to join, but that's all. But I read the boards for a while before joining, and I read threads complaining about teens, and even a few posters saying they put anyone under 18 on their ignore list! It wasn't enough to make me not want to join, but it did make me feel the need to hide my real age - even now, there are very few people there who know how young I am. (Since I joined, there have been a lot more teenagers arriving at the site...people still complain, but they don't seem to mind. They're braver than me! )

I thought I might have to do the same thing here as well, but I decided against it...I've been open about my age from the start, and I've never had a problem. I'm very glad that nobody has held it against me!

Just thought I'd share.

[AlteredState01]

Actually, I could see that happening - alot. No offence.

I don't have kids; my b/f has 3 teen daughters, and if there is one thing that will drive ya nuts is trying to get through to a teenager. You'll understand someday (Anyway, you were designed to challenge the status quo at this stage, so it is the adults that really need to rise to the occasion to help you out).

You do have every right to be taken seriously, though. Gee, I even think you (Rio) have given me some pretty good feedback at some point, but you know? I wonder if I would have been prejudiced by your age, had I had known it. Maybe.

I gotta admit, I get caught up in the stereotypical role of what a teen is, forgetting largely, how difficult it is to grow up, especially today, and even worse, when having to deal with issues of mental wellness.

Do we even "get" what you go through? Really, I would honestly like to know?

((((((((Teens)))))))))))
I think there are a lot more teens on here. I'd think teens would need psych help more then someone my age so therefore I would be the minority. I mean, you're going through so many changes and a lot of crap dealing with school, parents, friends, career choices, wanting freedom but not having the tools/skills for it, etc...
I know my teen years were pretty bad-if I had the help I needed I don't think my 20's would have been as bad as they were.
Anyway, I'm glad teens are here.

[lil_bit]

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AlteredState01 said:
Why DO you feel so young and out of place here? What makes it that way for you?

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Not really out of place in that i feel unwelcome or anything, just more that i feel..different? like i'm on a different level than the majority or something.

wow thank you all for all the feedback. The differing viewpoints are quite interesting. Perhaps this site is an example of how various generations can overlap and work together.

[AlteredState01]

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just more that i feel..different? like i'm on a different level than the majority or something.

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Is it because of the age diff? Your problems, our problems (I mean in how you / we feel about certain things...) How is it different?

[lil_bit]

I guess in the sense of interpretation. Different age groups have different ways of interpreting the same world and thus interpret differently the crises within that world...?

Yes, like what you said..different in the way we feel about certain things. Just differing insights and opinions, ya know?

[Rio_]

None taken.

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You do have every right to be taken seriously, though. Gee, I even think you (Rio) have given me some pretty good feedback at some point, but you know? I wonder if I would have been prejudiced by your age, had I had known it. Maybe.

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Well, I'd like to hope not... ...but if you had I wouldn't have blamed you. In an ideal world, on the internet people would only be judged by the quality/content of their posts, but I know it doesn't happen.

[AlteredState01]

Actually, I do know. When it comes to discussing emotional issues (and many other issues as well), most really don't seem to understand my perspective on things, which kinda makes me feel like a freak. Of course, taking extreme positions / views doesn't help my cause much, but I (try to) understand that much of that has to do with my personality type. My illness plays a role, too, however, I cannot always use that as an excuse (but it certainly has made a huge impact on how I deal).

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Different age groups have different ways of interpreting the same world and thus interpret differently the crises within that world...?

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Very true. But could you give me an example? (A good one would be where there is a clear separation of thought between the generations).

[AlteredState01]

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In an ideal world, on the internet people would only be judged by the quality/content of their posts, but I know it doesn't happen.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I think that, on the internet, people are judged more by what they say, rather than their age (if it, of course, is not known). I always assume that I am dealing with an "adult" when I am on-line, unless it is VERY apparent (by what is written) that one is quite young. I think age is irrelevant. Gender and race, too. Far less prejudices are experienced when not dealing face to face. Everything hinges on "what" you are saying on-line. I mean, one never really knows "who" they are talking to. I could be much older or much younger than what I have stated that I am...

I would like to hope that I would not be prejudiced by your age, but in all likelihood, I probably would have been. Although, there is ONE thing that always makes me take notice of younger people's opinions (IRL) and that is, you often still see things a heck of a lot more optimistically than I do, even though you are beginning to see and feel more and more hypocrisy in this world.

[Direction]

I think it is good to have input from all ages.

[AlkaLineSegment]

I'm a teenager; 14. But usually I don't act like it.