I won’t lie. Being a parent of a teen is really weird. Sometimes they’re up and sometimes not so much. One of the deep questions that has been rolling around in my mind lately has slowly started to form and solidify in a way I wasn’t expecting. My friends, these are the 5 Answers to the Question: Why are Teens So Silly? Similar to the answer to the big question Deep Thoughts answered. But, you know, with a more intelligible answer. LOL!
5 Answers to the Question: Why are Teens So Silly?
- Embarrassment. Yeah, they’re just starting to figure out that tooting in public is really embarrassing. Or just existing. That can be embarrassing, too (I’m an introvert, so I would know). They don’t know how to cope with being embarrassed (remember, it’s kind of new to them), so they act-out in…#2: Play.
- Play. As parents, we can’t forget that teens aren’t that far removed from being little kids. For reals, just because my 14 year old is almost as tall as me, and so I see him in a different light automatically, he is still not that far removed from the 7 year old that played chase with me in the front yard. They still need play to practice being grown-ups. There’s just a lot they haven’t done and playing gives them a chance to pretend before the real thing.
- Hormones. Yeah–the hormones that make some teens moody and surly can also have the opposite effect on their growing bodies and brains. So, while one teen may be enjoying a depressive sort of hormone day, another might be caught in the throes of a silly afternoon.
- Wonder. Maybe they aren’t showing it and don’t have a word for it yet, but they’re astounded by the things that they’re seeing and doing. Their brains are a little overwhelmed and a way to deal with it, to cope with that little bit of sensory bombardment, is to laugh about it. Enjoy it a little–that kind of thing.
- Hunger. Yeah, they really want that burger. No. Wait. That’s not what I meant. I mean that they’re hungry for more. Excited. Like, when you’re about to buy that new phone or see that awesome movie–and you can hardly contain yourself. Well, teens haven’t experienced as much as an adult (obviously). And so they’re just super-excited to do more. Have more. Be more.
Deep thoughts. Heh.
Do you have anything to add to these “5 Answers to the Question: Why are Teens So Silly?”? Don’t be shy…drop your ideas here in the comments below…or drop me a line on Facebook. I’d love to hear if you’ve got a different opinion…LOL!
And don’t forget to pin this…you know so you can come back and laugh later. Heh.