19 Reasons Why Teenagers Are Awesome

Teenagers have a bad reputation.

Today I typed the following into Google, "Why teenagers are . . ." and do you know what Google suggested? Crazy! Why teenagers are crazy has over 15 million search results. Yikes! There must be something to this negative view of adolescents.

You should hear the responses that I get from people when I tell them that I am a therapist for teenage boys and their families. Oh boy! Let me just say that no one responds with, "Man, you are one lucky therapist." I think it is an unfair cultural stereotype that actually sets our adolescents up for failure. We expect them to be disrespectful to authority, to be self-centered, to experiment with drugs and alcohol, to be promiscuous, and on and on.

I wanted to make a list of all the reasons that I could come up with to declare and share with the world my opinion that teenagers are awesome. I hope you agree with me.

So, here are 19 reasons why teenagers are awesome.

1. They are not afraid to challenge the rules and try things in a different way

2. They are creative and imaginative

3. They are awesome with technology

4. They are unencumbered by "life experience"

5. They have ideas that can change the world

6. They have intense and vibrant emotions

7. They are curious about the world

8. They are tremendously social

9. They can be passionate and focused

10. They seek out and create new experiences

11. They can be philosophical in their quest for meaning and purpose

12. They care about their friends

13. They can be hilarious and playful

14. They have strong opinions

15. They are not afraid to take a chance on love

16. They face crushing uncertainty and awkwardness and find ways to survive

17. They are stereotyped and misunderstood, but still assert their personalities

18. They start successful businesses

19. They can be fiercely loyal

I know that I could continue to expand this list for quite some time. This is just my first 19 ideas. I hope you will join me in encouraging and empowering young people whenever you have a chance. They need our vote of confidence and our belief that they can rise above the unfair cultural stereotypes.

The next time you see a teenager, maybe even your own, give them a fist bump and say, "You are awesome!"