Puberty Blues

[Chemical]

Looking back it is definitely the lack of responsibility and frivolty that is the most attractive. But most are maybe the simple delights of lunch time hangouts sunning on the grass with friends, having airy fabulous debates, and making grilled cheese in the hallway. Or delightful lazy lounges in basements shooting trout, listening to music and trying to get high on whatever was around. There's a nostalgia to it kin to what I imagine it would belike to live well off and young in the 20's. Debaucherous with a hint of recklessness... all the hallmarks of a Freudian postcard .

[Madonna]

Reading a lot of these posts, it is clear that a lot of teenage childhoods were not so great and not worth reliving in any capacity. For those peple, I am expansively sympathetic, and glad you have at least made it here and kept us all company. However, human beings do go through a huge change in that phase of their lives, and that is worth noting and trying to keep in perspective. We are amazing creatures, and the feelings that you experience then help form who you are as an adult, and at times adult forget how much the small things matter to younger people because adults have a different perspective and temper situations with experience teenagers do not have.

I personally do not subscribe to the idea that being a teen again would be great, as I have a wonderful life now, met wonderful friends since then, and I have had tremendous experiences that are not worth trading for another, different life. I am very satisfied to be where and when I am.

[Chemical]

I don't subscribe to the necessity of trading in the present to relive the past. It's all just a whimsical excercise in romantic nostalgia.

I recall my first year in high school they had this event where for charity you would gather a team and try to cram as many people into A VW beetle as possible. Well didn't one of the older and bigger school kids have the brilliant idea of using his sports-captain-school-academic-president charisma to muster ("recruit" as he more eloquently placed it) all the smallest kids including myself. We fit 23 of us into that VW and I will never forget being sardined in with my other wriggling and groaning school mates hanging upside down. Our fearless, leader "supervising" and beaming with the kind of egotistical radiance one gets from watching his thoroughbred horse cross the finishing race at the Melbourne Cup. It was my first lesson in social food chains. Chortle.

[Casey]

Remember being a teenager? All the drama? Highschool? Cliqs? Parties?

Man.... good times..and bad times. It was the best of both worlds. I think it was a time of the greatest happiness and the most devestating lows over far less serious things than I now encounter.

We were creative rascals, weren't we? Would you go back and relive it? Is there a particular teenage moment that inspires or haunts you to this day?

Yes I remember being a teenager. I pretty much didn't have friends tell the end of Highschool. Then going to bootcamp after 11 grade during the summer was fun. Learning how to be a soldier.... but then returned and got into drugs and dropped out of highschool, which I regret. Then getting a GED and going back to Fort Knox to learn how to be a Abrams Tank Crewmen. If I had a choice I would've waited tell after highschool and gone active duty. It was fun and I wish I didn't do drugs.... can't change that or play the could've would've... though it would be nice to go back and relive it but I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for all the crap I have been through. I also didn't have schizophrenia then which was cool not hearing voices in my head from time to time.

[Jessweeee♪]

Naw, I wouldn't relive it. Nothing to relive! I was bullied a lot in elementary and middle school so when I changed districts going into high school I was pretty much "playing possum" to avoid inviting more bullying. Woke up, got on the bus, avoided eye contact with fellow students, stared out the window, got to class, stared out the window, got my lunch, avoided sitting with other students, stared out the window, back to class, go home and read a book or post here, go to sleep. Weekends I holed myself in my room with the PS2. It worked though, no one ever bothered me anymore. I caught wind of some weird speculative rumors though. My friends who went to another school ran into kids from my school, described me and asked them if they knew me, and they said "omg you know that psycho lesbian bitch?" like wat

I'm not exactly a social butterfly now but I enjoy going out a lot more and sometimes I go with friends c:

[Sephex]

No, I am happy with how things happened, mistakes and all.

I enjoy the freedom of living alone. I enjoy being able to have people hang out with me without consulting with my parents. I get paid to spend time in a building for a few hours out of societal obligations. I can drink without worrying about any legal ramifications as long as I don't get behind a wheel and stay indoors (which happens 100% of the time now). No homework. No final due. I now learn about cool things I am into instead of studying for an class devoid of creativity with rote memorization. I have a nice car instead of a POS that will break down if I blink at it hard enough. If anyone is idiotic enough to pick on me in the adult world, like the work place, they'd get in actual trouble instead of some useless half hour detention. I don't have adults look me in the eye and try to BS me about what grim future I have if I don't do exactly what they say. I am much smarter, more capable of dealing with my emotions, and infinitely happier. Frankly, life is a lot more interesting per few days than four, long years inside of a bland set of buildings.

Why the hell would I go back?

[Shlup]

Ehh... I like my life now. I don't really think about my puberty years much; they were pretty dull, in retrospect. BJ often waxes nostalgic about youthful shenanigans but I like being old.

[Loony BoB]

I thoroughly enjoyed my teenage years despite the downsides. I was uglier, I was stupider, I did stupid things, I was an idiot with the ladies and got nowhere fast with most of them, I had family problems and I occasionally had friend problems.

But I could do whatever I wanted for the most part, I had no financial concerns, the money I earned could happily be wasted on pies and crisps, video games were in The Golden Age, I had wonderful friends that I could hang out with and I had a closeness with some people that sadly I don't have anymore.

I would not give up adulthood to be a teenager forever, but I would happily "have another go" if I could get back to living my adult life afterwards.

Here's to the future, where I can plug myself into my own memories and relive my teenagehood.

[Sephiroth]

Remember being a teenager? ... Parties?

No.

[Dat Matt]

I am similar to Bob here in that I am nostalgic for my teenage years, but would prefer to continue my adult lifestyle.

I hated the first few years of highschool. Nerdy and unpopular I didn't make too many friends. Around about my 3rd year I started to discover myself a bit more, found a taste in music, associated with people with similar interests. The one thing I miss about highschool is that I had a lot of time to mess around and hang out with people. Finishing school at 3:30pm meant that I could hang out with my friends until 6, get dinner and then play videogames all evening. I also had days dedicated to spending time with people all evening, or going to a local pub to drink some beer despite being 15 (Legal age 18).

I do feel nostalgic sometimes and wonder what it would be like to do it all again with my current knowledge, or how things would different if I was in school now.

On the other hand, being an adult is pretty cool.

[Jiro]

Yeah, for sure. It would be nice to float back and give a once-over now that I know what not to take for granted.