Conflicts between adults and teenagers have aroused discontent of teens towards their parents and teachers, leading to many problems at home and at school. The mutual misunderstanding drives the vicious cycle and worsens their relationship. To address such problem, we have to find out the major misconceptions and take prompt action.
The biggest misconception is that adults still think the teens live in the same era as them, with absolutely no change in lifestyle. Actually, apart from the heavy workload at school, teens nowadays have to struggle with the increasingly rancorous academic competition, like HKCE and AL. Worse still, there are many distractions that the grown-ups didn’t have to face when they were young, for instance facebook, ipods and online computer games. However, the parents and teachers tend to think the new generation is not strong enough or too laid-back when the teens are failed to meet their expectation in their studies.
Another misconception is that adults insist they are always right and the youngsters’ feelings are not important at all. As a teen, I am usually scolded by my parents just because I hold a different perspective from them. For example, my parents are not Christians and they are used to blaming me for being superstitious and weak when I go to church. As I am trying to explain to them, they tend to ignore my thoughts and think I am a spoiled kid. This humiliates me because they don’t show any respect on my own choice of belief and personal interests. Personally, I am willing to accept their advice if I am really wrong, but why can’t they listen to me when disagreement arises?
In order to mend the broken relationship, both teens and adults should be bold to voice out their feelings. It is essential for the two parties to open up themselves to each other and discover what is misunderstood or distorted. If they find it embarrassing to speak the truth out, writing a letter of apology is highly recommended.
After realizing one’s own weakness, one further step should be taken to bridge the gap. It is of utter importance to calm one self down and give in if you find you have faults when it comes to reconciliation of a relationship. To many adults, ‘give in’ means giving up their self-esteem, hence they will not admit their mistakes even if they know they are wrong. In short, courage is the key for both the teens and grown-ups to make self-corrections and understand each other.
In conclusion, misunderstanding and lack of communication are the culprits for the adults having misconceptions towards teens. It is no wonder that conflicts happen between the two generations growing in the totally different backgrounds. Yet, these misconceptions can be cleared away as far as they are willing to put themselves into each other’s shoes.