I am 7 and 10 years old
Old enough not to be dependent but not old enough to be independent
Old enough to be held accountable for my wrongdoings but not old enough to hold others accountable for theirs
The epoch in the history of my youth and the future of my adulthood

"Enjoy your teenage years", "These are the best years of your life", "Make as many memories as possible"
Alright

Adults treat me like a child and expect me to act like an adult

"Stop trying to grow up so fast"
I can't when I'm being told to act like I'm older,
Yet when I am mature, I'm 'disrespectful' and think that I'm 'grown'
"You're a know-it-all"
Yet I ‘don't know enough’

"Stop trying to grow up so fast"
I can't when the course of my entire life depends on everything I do in this very moment
I can't when society is forcing me to map out my life, a life that has barely even started yet, at an age way less than half of its expectancy
I'm only 17

Where's my fucking teenage dream?

First love, going out, enjoying my youth...what happened to all that?
Instead, we’re stuck with IBs, CAPE, SATs, and college apps
And let's not forget the plethora of unrealistic beauty standards and self-expectations that are swallowing us whole

"You're so lucky to be in your teens, you have no worries"
Then what are the things keeping me up at night?
"You have no idea what stress is, you're only 17"
I didn't know stress had an age restriction

Anyways,
Cheers to my last summer of youth, though it will be spent prepping for what 18 has to bring

-Anonymous