Teenage Turmoil? Not So Much, Says Author of 'Teen 2.0'

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Good article. Very "post 20th Century," which is what we need. However "kid" does not come from the word for baby goat, but from the German word "Kind" - child.

Steven Dufour of CA 1:21PM March 14, 2012

Great work on the site layout

Markin of AL 8:28PM May 10, 2010

Adults these days take us teenagers for granted. Adults expect the wrong things from us. First of all, adults need to understand we can handle responsibilty and we can be more mature than you would expect. Second of all if we are "advanced" in school dont expect our "higher" maturity levels to STAY high Remember we are Still TEENAGERS we love to goof off sometimes and it helps everyone if you have a sense of humor. Thirdly we only think of the now instead of the later, half the time if we mess up, forgive us (the first time for 1 thing) no body's perfect, you messed up too, and we are still trying to learn who we are (yes even at this "young" age). Fourth of all WE WANT TO HAVE FUN, rarely thats gonna be our number 1 priorty but high school is the funest place in the world (for some people quiet frankly I dont see why. I wanna get done with school, bills and skill to retirement but any who...) All in all teenagers can be mature and often need more resposibilty than givin just take the time out of your day to spend as time as possible with your child when they are a child (1-11; 12 & 13 they may start to change) in the long run this will help alot If you didnt know im 14

martine of FL 1:16AM April 28, 2010

Some valid points about the way society marginalizes teens, but the maturity quiz needs some work. I scored lower than expected because I answered the questions about being flexible physically with the awareness of the limits of my approaching 60 body.

Eema of MD 7:45AM April 06, 2010

I have to sound a note of caution here. I was one of those extremely responsible teenagers. I think I was more mature at 16 than I am now at 29. Just kidding, but I certainly took things seriously. I had the respect of all the adults in my life and did a lot of adult things. I went on to college, got a 4.0 GPA, traveled Europe after graduating, and then started my own business.
But my story only proves your point on the surface. You see, I was homeschooled. Most homeschoolers are remarkably mature as teenagers. We all eschewed the label "teenager" and instead went by "young adult."
But as I got older, I noticed a problem. If you don't go through junior high in, well, junior high - you go through it in your 20's. I saw so many 21 and 22 year old homeschoolers suddenly acting like 14 year olds - "do you think he likes me?" type stuff. These were people who had internships in the White House, incredibly high profile positions of responsibility, but emotionally they weren't quite as mature as they appeared. I too had to got through some "teenage stuff" in my 20's...breaking from my mom, discovering who I was as a person.
Teens can be responsible and mature, sure. But let them grow up gradually. Let them experience the questions and mood swings and idealism. Don't expect too much of them, or they'll crash and burn later...ask me how I know. Expecting too much can be just as much or even more damaging than not expecting enough.

Heidi of VA 11:00PM April 05, 2010

I began answering the questions on the adult competence test; however, after the third question on whether or not both men and women masturbate, I decided perhaps the survey was just a little too adolescent for me.

Beth of PA 6:54PM April 05, 2010

"More maturer"?
We teens may be more mature, but apparently we could do with some work on our grammar....

Anon 6:40PM April 05, 2010

I was just having a discussion about this today with some friends whose children are 11 & they were dreading the adolescent years (we have older kids). I'm generalizing, but I think that the culture in schools & society/media sets up kids, and their parents, for what teenagers are "supposed" to be like and behave and many just fall into that. It wasn't until the 20th century that the term "teenager" even existed. People in the 13-19 year-old age range are absolutely capable of phenomenal things, just like 30-year-olds are. We are often only limited by the expectations of the influences around us.

Kathi of TX 5:55PM April 05, 2010

Teens nowdays are more maturer. They know what the world is like around them better than we were. And thanks to internet, they don't need to disscuss every puzzle with their parents, while they can get advice from someone who will not know the asker's name. That keeps teens a little away from their parents.

superhorst 2:58PM April 04, 2010