Dear older children (high school seniors, mostly.)

This can go out to high schoolers, parents, anyone who is older than me or older than whoever reads this.

Here's something that bugs me about you:

You think you're more mature than me, like you know more than me. Just because I was born slightly after you, you believe this makes you better than me or somehow on a different level.

In my opinion that makes you far less mature. The way I see it, maturity has nothing to do with the way someone acts in public or someone's sense of humor. Anyone can laugh at a pun or snicker at a hickey on their girlfriend's chest.

Maturity is about how someone handles themselves at a time when it actually matters. If there is a conflict or if there is a conversation that is slightly more profound in content than talking about the weather or new shoes.

More than that, though, maturity, like any other art or emotional concept is a spectrum, not separated into levels based on something as superficial as age (especially with an age difference as insignificant as one or two years.) Just like art or love or music or the balance between good and bad, maturity is simply subjective, based on a person's life and views and personality, not based on a number.

So to conclude this little rant: you're not more mature than me. You just have a different perspective on what maturity means. There is no "more" or "less" there is only "different."

Sincerely,
Junior

Dear parents with teenagers,

In simplest terms, this is how the cycle goes:

1) The parents are worried for their car and their kid and visible show their concern.

2) Their fear is obvious to the teenager so they feel the need to be great at driving in order to calm and impress their parents.

3) This puts pressure on them on top of the excitement to drive and their own fear and concern.

4)The parents see that the teenager is nervous and tries to tell them how to drive, while they're driving.

5) The teenager wants to be good at driving but gets annoyed and doesn't want to listen to their parents, all the while trying to follow their advice (for example, if a parents says "okay... go now." the teenager will startle and step on the gas..... yes I know that from experience.)

6) The parent gets scared and panics.

7) The teenager gets scared and messes up.

8a) The parent believes it's the teenager and that s/he is "not ready to drive" and the teenager knows it was just a transfer of fear and panic but doesn't say anything because the parent believes they know better.

8b) OR the teenager WILL say something and accuse the parent of scaring them out of annoyance, fear and/or anger and the parent simply refuses to listen and it ends up being an argument or swept under the rug and never talked about again.

Teenagers shouldn't be allowed to drive with their parents, only an instructor or other adult that they are comfortable with.

OR

Parents, you need to recognize that your visible concern only puts more pressure on us and causes us to mess up more than we usually would. We appreciate advice, we follow it to the letter even if we don't realize it. But please, give it to us before or after we're in the car. (preferably before) We want the driving experience to be as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Sincerely,
The new driver.

PS. If you have experienced this firsthand (whether you're a parent or teenager) or maybe have had different experiences with new driving, leave a comment telling me telling me your driving story, I'd love to know if my description is just as accurate as I think it is!

Dear all unhappy people...

It's a very simple thing, happiness. And if you try it, you'll find it's much easier than being unhappy. I'm not saying fake a smile, because faking a smile through the pain is not real strength... but finding a reason to smile despite hard times, that's the true strength.

You think that being unhappy is seeing the reality of things, you think your cynicism is being realistic. There is so much good and purity and light is this world but you only see darkness and you refuse to see the bright side.

You take life so seriously, as if the issue is going to last forever. Honestly, whatever you're upset about, probably isn't going to last to the morning.

It's very easy to be happy. Don't see your life as stressful, as worse than others. Your life could be "easier" or "better" in your eyes but you refuse to make it that way.

You refuse to make the best of what blessings you have.

Sincerely,
Life is meant to be lived, not lived through.