Being a teenager

By SIERRA WARNER

Published in The Manistee News Advocate
Onekama High School

Most teenagers my age (16) have part-time jobs that actually pay. My “income” comes from babysitting three little girls — ages 12, 8, and 5.

They are definitely a talkative group. “Hey, she’s looking at me funny,” or the fact that none of them can keep their hands to themselves. I claim them as my little sisters; they’re my dad’s girlfriend’s daughters. So, most of the time, I just pull a “Big Sister” card on them to make them stop arguing.

EXTRA CURRICULARS: We are down to our last week of the volleyball season. The whole team — JV and varsity — is definitely being changed around a lot. We had a lot of fun last year, we even did a breast cancer/ leukemia awareness game at Custer (MCE); they had a family at the school with someone who had leukemia and they asked us if we would help raise money. Both JV and varsity had a blast and I know that the Custer girls did too. I also play basketball, and softball.

SCHOOL DEMANDS: My school does not really have many demands — turn your home work in on time, study for tests, no tank tops. Onekama has AWESOME teachers. Just about all of the teachers will take time to help you with questions you have or if you need help on an assignment. Onekama acquired about 40 iPads last year, so we now make movies with the help of the app iMovie. As a matter of fact, we were just given an assignment that we have to film. We have to summarize a Canterbury Tale in a way that tells the main events of the story, but we can basically have as much fun as we want with it.

RELATIONSHIPS: I’ve had a wonderful boyfriend for a year and a month now. A lot of kids in my class are in relationships. The one thing I absolutely love about my boyfriend is that he is my best friend, I literally tell him everything. If I could give anyone my age or older relationship advice — granted I’m only a teenager myself — I would say that the best thing to do is fall in love with your best friend. Fall in love with the one person you couldn’t live without, the one person you can’t stay mad at for more than an hour, the one you always talk to, or the one who knows you better than you know yourself, at times.

PEER PRESSURE: As a junior in a decent sized high school, I really don’t feel peer pressure. I’m sure there is tons of it, but I would like to say I’m above that. I really don’t care what people think about me, and I think that’s the main reason so many kids feel bad about themselves. Kids always compare themselves to others, whether it be the most “popular” kids, people they see in magazines who look like they haven’t eating a good meal in months, or even their best friends.

There is no reason to try and change yourself. If people don’t like you, it’s their loss. Everyone was made in their own way, has their own thoughts, and their own styles. If everyone was the same, imagine how boring that would be. You are you, and no one should ever make you change. Friends are the reason I look forward to school in the mornings.

I also love my horses. I would ride and train all day, if I could. I also want to make other kids happy. I would love to do an equine therapy school for kids with disabilities or kids who just need a little extra fun in their lives. Horses know how you feel, they can just feel it. If you get a really good horse, they will actually know when and how to cheer you up. My horse will turn her neck around me and hug me when she can tell I’m not feeling too good. Then you get the goofy ones that always have their tongues out of their mouths, or are always doing something that makes you laugh. Those horses are the best.