taken away

Looking at kids and teenagers today, I cannot help but feel sorry for them. They are growing up too fast. Whatever happens to innocence and being carefree?

More and more young ones are behaving like they’re 20-year-olds. They dress up like one. Girls apply make-up on their faces. Boys as young as 12 smoke the cigarettes like they’re eating cotton candy. And don’t even mention the competitiveness for brands which I think is simply ridiculous. I know of a young girl who wears everything from Miss Selfridge, Topshop, and MNG at the age of 12! And I had my first pair of jeans from Miss Selfridge at the age of 19. I don’t even have any items from Topshop. And I don’t think that is a huge problem.

It is a saddening fact that teenagers nowadays are more exposed to things which are mostly negative. It’s not just how they dress-up. But it’s the behavior that is worrying. I meet my students every single day. Each and every one of them has a story to tell. Once, I was caught off-guard when I overheard some of my boys talking so openly about love-bites. I mean, at 16? I don’t even know what love-bite was until I was in college. Yes, I was that naïve. God knows what other things they have indulged themselves in. I was even dumbfounded when a boy (quite renowned to the whole school for his attitude of skipping classes and other things) asked me so matter-of-factly “Cikgu dah kahwin? Cikgu ganas tak?”. I am 24, and I’d be so stupid if I didn’t get the message. My point is, they are way more advanced than we thought they are. I know they watch stuff. After all, they’re boys. But is that all they can ever talk about in school? Berlagak orang besar konon.

Another pressing issue : Merempit. This is the most talked about topic in my school. I bet in other schools, too. Let me ask you one thing : What contentment can you gain from merempit like crazy people on the road? I simply cannot understand this. My Form 2 boys speak of how they did this aksi and that aksi on the road the night before so proudly while completing the task I gave in class. Whatever happened to sepak takraw, selipar tiga or galah panjang?

Many weeks before, the Discipline team in my school was busy discussing about a Form 5 girl who had been identified wearing make-up to school. I laughed when I came to know of this matter. Pergi sekolah pun nak apply make-up ke? Doesn’t she know the rules? Or perhaps she’s just challenging the system. And here I am still bared –face with no knowledge on how to apply even the slightest layer of make-up.
I don’t understand why they want to be grown-ups so much.

I know of young kids who had to grow up because they don’t have a choice. They had to sell kuih-muih from house to house after school to help support the family. I know of my girls who had to act as the mother and cook everyday because mom is not feeling well or because their parents are out working. If given a chance, do you think they would want to sacrifice their childhood and step into adulthood so soon? I bet the answer is no.

And we have the other group of kids who so want to be adults but obviously they don’t even have a clue how being one is. They think they know, but they don’t.
Cherish your younger days. You’ll eventually be an adult when the time comes. Don’t rush into it. Because clearly, it’s no fun when you have to start paying bills and pay for your own stuff. Go out and play. Be carefree.