Something I hate.

Something I absolutely hate is when people dismiss my opinions and concerns because I am younger than them. My dad does this a lot, and it really annoys me. Some people have this idea in their minds that because teens and children are young and have less life experience, we are not qualified to speak about certain subjects. We are often treated as though we are ignorant and/or childish for bringing up serious concerns or questioning the status quo. Less life experience does not mean NO life experience. We may not be as mature as adults (nor may we understand everything about the world yet), but that does not mean that our concerns, thoughts, and opinions are invalid. We need to listen to children and teens and start taking their feelings seriously instead of dismissing them. A lot of teens and children are smarter than people realize. Some have had experiences in life that even adults could never understand. All I'm saying is this: Listen to teens and children.