“If
we don’t want anyone to despise our youth, then we need to be worthy of
respect, we cannot hope to be that by being a teenager. I want to be
someone who makes a difference in other people’s lives, and I cannot do
that by being a teenager.” ~ Benjamin age 13
“We
cannot walk as other men or talk as other men or do as other men, for
we have a different destiny, obligation and responsibility placed upon
us and we must fit ourselves to it.” ~Paije age 12
“And
now, here I am at fourteen. I still don’t fully understand what it
means to be a youth, but what I do understand is that youth can do hard
things. I know there is so much more to life than what the teen world
has to give us, and that the point of life is to achieve greatness. By
doing what a teen usually does like being disrespectful of their
parents, having low expectations of themselves, focusing on friends and
entertainment and being irresponsible, you get the complete opposite of
greatness, which is weakness.” ~Nick age 14
“I am not a teenager because I am not afraid to stand up for what’s right.” ~Bethani age 14
“I am preparing for my future as an adult with adult responsibilities.” ~John age 12
“I
crave responsibility and respect from even the adults. I am not a couch
potato. I will take on adult responsibilities before I ask for adult
privileges. My years as a youth are my launch pad into adult life— the
time to discover who I am and prepare for adulthood.” ~Marina age 13
“The
teenager is an animal of fear—fear of solitude, fear of responsibility
and fear of wisdom. The teenager’s optimum goal is—to become a more
perfect teenager. They are the most free yet the most in bondage of
beings. They are in bondage to their own ignorance and lack of
responsibility. I am not of this group. I am instead part of a group of
people who call themselves “Youth.” We do no run our lives on fear, but
rather on what we know to be right. We trust in God more than man, and
since we do this, we know that we are not destined to stay young
forever. Instead, we are to grow into the mission that God has given
us.” ~Quinton age 14
When
I heard these inspiring youth speak I said, “You should turn this into a
book. People need to hear your message. Most of the world doesn't know
they can avoid having their child turn into a teenager.”
Well that is exactly what they did. The book "I Am Not A Teenager", by the students of Erda Academy, Angela Baker, and Nicholeen Peck is now ready for reading. It is a free e-book.
The
book is amateur in style and even grammar in some points. There are
also points where the youth make some pretty brave statements which most
adults wouldn't dare say in writing, but we left it that way because it
was written by youth ages 12-15, and needed to stay in their voice. We
hope you will enjoy it.
The
purpose of the book is to inspire teens to be youth and to educate
parents about the cultural shift youth need to thrive instead of getting
caught up in teenage issues. If applied it can help solve teenage
school problems and teenager problems with parents. Parenting teenagers
doesn't need to be something we dread any more. When teenagers see
another option, they are often inspired to change the way they are
living.
Discuss this article and this free e-book with your teenagers and youth.
Discuss this article and this free e-book with your teenagers and youth.
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Nicholeen Peck is a popular public speaker, BBC television star and author of Parenting A House United, and Londyn LaRae Says Okay. Her blog is Teaching Self Government. The BBC show of her family can be found there, as well as answers to frequently asked parenting questions. To buy her book click here. Check out her Books and Audio Classes, New Children's Book or her Blog which is full of great parenting tips!
