I have a secret. We’re not wise, we don’t know what’s what, we aren’t ready for whatever life can throw at us, and more than anything, we are not adults.

     Let’s establish something real quick: I’m not saying everything an adult does is right; I’m not saying everything a teen does is rash and impulsive; I’m not even saying that there isn’t any validity to a teenager’s complaint that adults treat them like children.

     However, with age comes experience. Not the “3-5 years required” kind; I’m referring to the “I need a job or my kids don’t eat” the “I watched them tear down the Berlin Wall,” the “I was at work when the towers fell” kind of experience.

     Teens can live an eventful life, but, barring special circumstances, it can’t compare to an adult’s. I’m not saying our lives are trivial, or that an adult won’t acquire the wrong beliefs; but isn’t there worth in experience?  Isn’t there value in the knowledge and wisdom that comes from a long life and the experiences that comes with it?

     If this were just a few teens with a life filled with the “special circumstances” mentioned earlier, than I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But it’s not just a few teens. Almost every teenager thinks they’re mature for their age, almost every teenager thinks adults treat them like children, and almost every teenager thinks they have a handle on life.

     Let’s bring this down to everyday life. How often do you or someone you know criticize the school system? How often do you hear student saying something along the lines of “there’s too much homework,” or “why can’t I study on my own terms.”

     Whether or not the school system is broken is reserved for a different opinion piece. But let’s be realistic; teenagers are, for the most part, irresponsible and unreliable. We shirk our work, we text in class, we avoid responsibility like the plague. So it’s only natural that the school system would be strict, to (theoretically) teach us responsibility.

     I’m not saying it’s perfect, I’m not saying it’s right, I’m not even saying it shouldn’t be changed. I’m saying there’s value in the viewpoint and the experiences that went into creating it.

     I’m not saying we should bow to tradition, I’m not saying everyone older is smarter, I’m saying there’s value in their viewpoints and the lives lived to acquire them. Even if we disagree with them, we should attempt to understand them.