Teens are mean

I do not understand teens. Teen GIRLS in particular.
They are best of friends with each other one minute, then the next they are talking about each other behind their backs (and EXTREMELY mean spirited stuff sometimes too).

The particular issue that has me standing up here on my soap box is this. Shayna's cheer squads have both had many girls injured this year. Pulled muscles, fractured vertebrae, torn ligaments, injured ankles, wrists, knees, etc. You name it (other than broken bones) they have had it.

Now, an adult female with a friend who is hurt would be asking her how she is doing, checking in on her, see if there is something she can do to help out if it's a big injury, etc. A teenage girl however will do quite the opposite it seems. They have shown themselves to be more apt to slander each others names, accuse them of faking, roll their eyes when the doctor gives them a note saying they can not work out for a week, and then go talk to all the other girls about how lame it is that "so and so" isn't working out...I mean "she is so faking it and I can tell cause xxx"!

Riiiight. At 14 they are quite the experts on matters of health and fitness. Truly we should go ahead and give them all their MD and let them move on with life since they are the experts.
I typically love having a car full of teenagers cause they are bubbly and funny and silly. But when they start talking about each other - I have to really watch myself to not open up a can of whoop ass on these know it all little snotty snots (that I love very dearly - on most days).

Why can't they all just be supportive of each other and stop with the freaking meanness YO!
:)

There ... I have ranted and my rant shall end here.

PS. Shayna is sitting out this week with tendinitis in her right knee - any guesses what got me irritated on this subject? ;)

Comments

Liberty said…
When I was in college I took a course on Women Studies and this exact topic came up. Younger women are SO competitive and inclined to tear down each other in order to eliminate competition that it's literally against their innate nature to be supportive. It isn't until we are much older (and the need to compete has passed) that we're even able to naturally and intuitively be supportive of each other.

By the time women are in their 50's and 60's, they rely more heavily on EACH OTHER than they do anyone else - even their own kids - so things DO turn around, but it's a slow, gradual process.

If you were 14, you probably wouldn't notice it. As we get older and our own mindsets change, it's not only noticeable, but intolerable. I even get called out on my own behavior by my friend who is in her 60's, even though it's NOTHING compared to that of a girl in her teens or twenties. Heh.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's something you'll easily be able to change. To some extent, we're hard wired the way we are, and to another extent, society doesn't really allow for it, unfortunately. :(
Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus? I don't recall this from my growing up as a boy or witnessing my son and his friends grew up... :-)
Stephanie said…
Liberty's comment was interesting! I have also been frustrated by my teen's wishy-washy relationship with her girlfriends. I've commented on it a few times, but I think it just puts me more out of the loop! I hear more if I just be quiet and take it all in.