Adolescence

There's much about the article that I completely agree with. Countless times I have heard from so many adults, including my parents, that growing up now is so much harder than it was. It used to be easier to get into college, less schooling was required for specific vocations, and qualifications are far more extensive. The one objection I have to Christopher Doyle's article is the definition of freedom. There are so many variations to one word, freedom in particular. Ask a teenager if he or she thinks they will grow up to lead a free life...there are at least a few interpretations of that. Is freedom defined as being able to go to the bathroom when you please, being allowed to run naked outside in the public, or not having to pay taxes? If the latter is chosen, then no, a free life will not be all that possible. America is a democracy, society is a democracy, and so is family. Everybody needs to contribute, and there is no way around that. People need to pay taxes, they need to understand their obligations to society. Granted, it has become much harder because of the higher qualifications necessary, and that is what puts the adolescent under stress.  I am stressed between college applications, maintaining grades, working part time, family obligations while also trying to live my life. It unfortunately is a balance that needs to be practiced, because there is no way to get around it. Things used to be much easier but the advantages and resources available to us now may be worth it in the long run, if it isn't already. A large factor that is over looked is the personal relations of the teenager. There is more pressure to fit in, do certain things, be with certain people, and that also adds stress, as hesitant as people are to admit it. Nowadays, kids are raised with subconscious standards. These have adapted society, and is what society has become. It may change in the  future, but there is currently nothing that can be done about it.