The Joy of Being 13

by Louise
(Gloucester, England)

I find that this is the age when you are misunderstood the most. Your not yet a young adult but you don't want to still be classed as a child. When you are this age you have a lot of different perspectives about everything, you finally start to realize that your not going to stay young forever and that you still have a lot of life to look forward to.

Most people my age decide that they don't care about school work, they flunk classes and yell at the teachers but I see it differently. This is your only chance at life and if you screw it up, sometimes it can't be fixed. I have read a lot of quotes about living life to the full and doing what ever you like beause you have one shot at life and how it should be full of joy and love not hard work, but I feel that without that hard work in the first place you can't get to that joy and love anyway, so why try?!

I have spent a lot of this summer bored out of my mind. I have been swimming a couple of times with my Mum and Sister and a lot of my friends would slate me because of this as doing things with your family when your my age is 'not cool'. I still do it anyway. If they laugh at me because of it then so be it because family wont be around forever and I wont be 13 forever.

The days running up to my 13th birthday were full of joy because I am one of the youngest in my year at school. I finally felt as though I had caught up with everyone (Even though I knew it would only be a matter of time until they turned 14 and it would start all over again!). Then when my birthday finally came I was shocked by how... normal I felt. To be honest I was a little dissapointed by how young I still felt compared to my 16 year old brother. I expected to feel at least a little different as I went from a 12 year old child to a 13 year old teenager, but instead I felt the same. I am glad of that, because I dont want to grow up just yet, I'm happy how I am. Heck I don't even know what I wanna do when I leave school!

I know that this was meant to be about joyfull things and when I just reread through it again it sounded more like a rant than a happy piece of writing, but behind everything I have said, it all has a happy meaning or memory. I love being 13!!!!
So that is my joy in life right now. :)


Sanet from FUN STUFF TO DO says:

Stunning Louise! It is awesome to be 13!
You have reason to rant and rave!

I love the fact that you spend time with your family and that you make your own choices in life despite what "cool" dictates - you will NEVER regret that in the long run.

Have a wonderful year and loads of fun!