My Secret Identity: Millenial

Their smiles were warm, shining lights from the moment I came into this world. Kind eyes below halos of warm brown and black. I called them Mom and Dad.

     Quick turn of topic there, maybe. But Guardian Angels is exactly what I think parents should be deemed. They've been there since we began, through our first toddling steps to bruises on knees, heartbroken tears, failure and disappointments. They've welcomed us back with open arms, nudged us onto the right path when we begin to stray, and all the while made us laugh at ourselves when we need it.

    Why this blog post? I'm going to be completely honest with you here, guys. I am *shudders* a millennial teenager. Millennials are people born from the 1980s to early 2000s. It's a title that's been given a negative connotation over the last few years, and I will be blunt when I say, for good reason. It's a sad thing, the fact most of us ARE unmotivated or selfish or entitled in one way or another. And it's an even sadder thing that I bear my greatest shame to you. I am in fact all of those things in some circumstances.

    

Now Kit, isn't that a bit...dramatic? you ask. Nope. Not in the slightest. Let me launch into the reasons why I believe that I fit into all these categories, why most teenagers do as well, and how we can try to fix it, in refrence to our families, who sit through all our bratty moods.

           1. I am unmotivated

              But Kit! You have a blog, you've written four books! You do sports and music and school!  My dear friends, I wish this was all that was required to be motivated. As a matter of fact, there are plenty of aspects in life I am utterly lazy in. Chores, mainly cleaning. Organizing my room. Helping around the house- anything monotone and boring, to be honest, but that isn't an excuse. It's something I should be willing to do, despite how it makes me want to bash my head on a wall. I'll do it when asked, but volunteering? *dashes away at the speed of light* No thank you, it isn't in my personality to enjoy something that doesn't stimulate my mind. C'mon guys, let's be frank. What sane teenager volunteers to scrub at a bathtub when we could be playing games, going out with friends or working on our favorite hobbies? Not many, but that doesn't make it right.

         Solution: Make it an integral part of your day! Sticky notes on your mirror, reminders on your phone, make it a point to tell yourself to get some motivation, roll up your sleeves and help Mom/Dad around the house!

          2. I am selfish and take things for granted

 Refrence back to my previous post on this a few months back (http://thepageflippers.blogspot.com/2017/09/things-we-take-for-granted-everything.html) In which I went more in depth on this. I'm not a veteran teenager, I'm more in the middle, and recently begun having more of an open, free social life. Going out with friends, planning parties, it's so very easy to get caught up in this wild new 'adventure' as I see it, and forget other things. Like family. I'm not the most....showy person. I love my family, I really, really do. I brag about them to my friends, and contrary to the parental and sibling's beliefs, I talk about my family to them as much as I talk about my friends to my family! But I don't always show that, and I forget that my family has always been here for me. They deserve more of my credit and time. I don't say love because I do love them with everything in me. Showing that is where I have some troubles. Now, I can't speak for ALL other teenagers, but I'm sure we've all at some point done something along the lines of not prioritizing our parents or siblings.

    Solution: Remind yourself how much they do for you! As I said before-sticky notes! Make it a point to put aside some time in the day for just them, put the devices aside and put your friends on hold. There's plenty of time for them already. 

        3. I believe I am entitled to the whole world

 Pride. It's the original first sin, and a tricky one that manages to sneak into every aspect of life, I've noticed. I'll be open guys, I've struggled with this a lot in my short life, and it gets in my way even more the older I get. You all know I have a fairly busy schedule, but so do my parents! They work, cook, clean, and somehow in between manage to be at my soccer games, concerts, drive me to parties/hangouts, make time for every one of my school events, take care of my younger sibling and oh yeah-THEMSELVES. Parents are superheros, guys, and frankly I don't always give mine the thought and gratitude they deserve. Being my parent doesn't mean they have to cater to my schedule. They do what they do out of love. Yet in between all of MY things, I get to thinking sometimes 'well I'm busy enough!' when truly, I can't hold a candle to them. I'd like to think I'm not the only one out there who's run into this before in their life.

       Solution: Slow down. Remind yourself-it's not just your life that is going on. There are so many people around who have their own events, schedules and stress and some of them are the people who do their best to make YOUR life easier, your Guardian Angels, your parents. Be more conscious of them, thank them each day.

             So guys, those are 3 main issues I myself see in the mirror as a millennial and teenager, and some solutions I could think of. I'd like to say I'm working and improving on this, but I'm not. It's something I probably should, and it's going up there with my goals for 2018.

Kit's 2018 Goals

Write 2 books (including Nano books)
Edit a book *muffled wail*
Visit a Christian camp with some friends this summer
Help run a VBS with my church
Run track and field
Read 100-120 books (at least 2 nonfiction *screech of horror*)
Keep track of books read in the year
Work on the blog more
Get more involved in band at school
Complete a 365 day devotional
 --->Work on the Three Millennial Struggles

          As for the Guardian Angel statement I opened with, I want to do a quick shout out to the parents out there, especially mine. You are all amazing, self sacrificing humans who put aside 18+ years of their lives to care for some mini humans who tend to not be the best people. You are what I strive to be every day of my life, and whether I show it or not, I want you to know, I love and respect you more than anyone in my life. I've said it to others around me before but I haven't said it enough to you guys-without you I would be completely and utterly lost. I would fall apart. So thank you, and forgive me when I do any of the above three things. This blog post may seem like an excuse, or a sudden desperate apology, but please know this is something I am planning on praying for God's assistance in fixing. I hope as I go through this year, I can improve.

        -Kit💝