you know you’re getting old when you watch the little mermaid and when ariel says “i’m 16 years old. i’m not a child anymore.” and you’re just sat there like yes you fucking are young lady stop it
The day you start agreeing with the parents in kids movies is the day it’s all over.
Reblogging for that last comment because that is so me.
It’s because fictional characters can have real concerns. Like, the reason why I love Persona 4 so much is that the characters are teenagers with real concerns that teenagers would have, and concerns that people don’t address in teenagers. Too often they’re told “you’re too young to understand” and “wait until you’re older” and not taken seriously, but honestly, there’s so much growing up in high school and college, I hate that people just assume “you’re a kid, you don’t know any better.” Kid doesn’t mean incapable of feeling things, or being concerned about things. Kid doesn’t mean you just don’t know about being hurt, or being in love, or being worried about what other people think, and just… that’s not what being a kid is. Being a kid is about growing and becoming the person you want to be, and that’s hard to do if someone is like, “You don’t know any better.” Yeah, that may be, but that doesn’t mean you should treat them like they can’t grasp the concept of it, or have genuine concerns about their life.
This is really personal, but take my wifey for example. She came out to her parents and they said, “No you’re not,” and took her to therapy. How terrible is that? They’ve come around since then (because I mean, come on, 12 years with a girl?) but she essentially had to come out twice because the first time they were like, “Nope,” just because she was young. And sure, maybe there is a kid who thinks he’s gay, and maybe years later he’ll marry a lady, but it’s called growing up and discovering yourself. Don’t tell someone they don’t know what they’re talking about, don’t tell someone their feelings in the here and now are false.
Hell, I mean, look at a series like X-Men. Mutants are discriminated against because they’re different. You can fill in the blank with race, gender, sexuality, just… pick one. Just because it’s got superheroes who can control the weather or fly doesn’t mean they aren’t facing real issues. Look at Rogue, she can’t even touch the person she likes, and she struggles with that. So not only is the overall show a big metaphor for being different, but those characters who are different have their own things to deal with. What better way to address those issues than with something a younger audience would be interested in? I really like shows like that that aren’t afraid to go there just because it’s a “kid’s show.” Like Adventure Time? I haven’t seen much of it, but from what I’ve seen on Tumblr there are some solid lessons to be learned, and it’s not preaching them, it’s just part of the story. It’s not like, “Now son sit down and let me tell you about being kind to others,” it just… is. And that’s great.
Can we please just tell every middle schooler this instead of making them feel embarrassed by their existence and their need to try new things? It would be much nicer to hear this through middle school and high school than it is to hear about how dumb your phase or whatever is and how much you’ll regret it in a year.
God. Yes. This. Stop telling kids they don’t know because they’re too young, that they’re wrong in the way they feel. In reality, you don’t know how they feel, because we all feel differently about things. And don’t forget, this was you when you were this age. You didn’t know. Stop acting like you knew what your life was going to be like at this point. Stop acting like when you were that age you weren’t confused about something, or scared, or frustrated when someone told you, “you don’t know because you’re too young.”
I am so thankful I have the parents I do. I was completely different from the people in my age group. I wasn’t interested in dating, I was interested in DBZ. I didn’t want to go to the dance, I wanted to stay up and read fanfiction. I had a great mom who got me that Nintendo 64. I had a dad that let me play Mortal Kombat and realized that it wasn’t going to warp my mind. I have parents who still have the crappy drawings of Goku that I did. They watched me go to conventions in college and dress up like different characters, and they complimented me. They spazzed over my art, they were happy when I said that I was going to conventions to try and sell it. They’re reading my books as they come out and laughing over the geeky references.
They’re also fully prepare to dress up for my Mortal Kombat themed wedding in the future, in fact, my mother insisted. My almost 60 year old mother wants to dress up for my Mortal Kombat wedding, wig and all. I was thinking of having a geek wedding where the geeky references were hidden and my dad was like, “We already know it’s going to be nerdy. So what.” My mom, too. So it’s fatality cake for all!
My mother is such a good example on what to do when your child does something you don’t understand. She doesn’t like anime, at all, she doesn’t get it. And she’s not into video games either. But you know what, she saw that I was, and she was like, “I don’t get it, but that’s your thing, so it’s o.k.” She would get games for me, she would buy those DBZ tapes, she even tried to sit and watch some episodes with me. The fact that she was trying for me and letting me do it even if she didn’t like it means the world to me. My dad was the same way, we’d play Mortal Kombat together and he’d complain when I beat him, he sat and watched me try Metal Gear Solid and Dead or Alive. It’s just the little things like this that mean the world to a kid.
And you know what? I’ve never been happier. I don’t think adults realize how important their opinion is to kids, even if kids are like, “Shut up I can do what I want,” or whatever, that parental unit is vital. It’s so easy to break a kid down by bashing what they like and telling them they don’t understand because they’re just too young. Teenage is such an important age period. You’re developing, and feeling things, and you’re around a bunch of other people who are, too. You’re trying to fit in when you don’t even know who you are yet. There’s pressure all around you from friends, family, school, everywhere you go. And let’s not even get into when you hit 16. Suddenly, you need to start thinking about your future. At 16. ”College? Job? What career do you want?” Career? At 16 I wasn’t even sure what jeans I wanted to wear, let alone a career. And it better be a career that makes you money, because if you say something else there’s a chance of getting a, “That’s not a real job” speech. ”How are you going to support your family with that,” speech. I’m 16 you just asked me what I wanted to do, so I turn to what I like: writing, drawing, whatever, and you say, “No that’s not a career.”
You should never, ever listen to those people. My mother told me over and over and over again to go into writing. My dad wanted me to go into art. They both wanted me to take on a creative field and I didn’t listen. I was scared, you know, because, “Not a real job.” I almost failed out of college until I finally, finally picked up Women’s Studies, ended up writing and reading and remembering how much I loved it in high school, then picked up Creative Writing. Best decision I ever made. But after graduation I ended up making the same mistake again, taking any job I could find because I needed money and the economy is bad you need a job now hurry up. I stayed at GameStop for 6 years, thinking one day I’d become a manager. Thank goodness for the review jobs I found on the side and fanfiction for having me keep up the writing, because as the job started to tank I started to write more. Now I have a book out and my mom is like, “… I told you so.” Yeah, she did. And I didn’t listen because I was too busy listening to discouraging people.
Don’t. Don’t do that, ever. Like this post says, be who you are, and if you don’t know who that is that’s o.k. You’re young, try things, always try things. Never stop trying things, even when you get older. Life is about trying things. And, most importantly, have fun with it.
Rambling about growing up and life and things this morning ^^
