By AUSTIN HEGG
CARDINAL NEWMAN HIGH SCHOOL, SENIOR

Andrew Hegg, a senior at Cardinal Newman High School

There is a constant outcry among teenagers for more freedom, more choice and more independence. Being a teenager in high school is a very peculiar age; your opinions begin to develop yet you are still living under your parents’ regulations. This causes an interesting conflict to develop, which is common in the majority of American households. I believe that some teenagers need to give their parents more respect, while some parents need to give their children more respect.
As adults, parents have the authority to set rules in their house, and as children, teenagers have to obey them. This is the only way to govern a practical society, and it is important that teenagers understand this. Although I would like to have more freedom, I realize that it is important to obey certain rules, just as adults are regulated by the rules of society.
If a community was lawless, there would be nothing but chaos. Rules that are set by parents also provide a foundation of how children should live their lives. If the set rules are obeyed, it instills a sense of responsibility within the teenagers, which is an important value to learn. However, it is important to give teenagers some independence because they are their own people and they need to learn how to live their own lives.
Along with setting rules, it also is the job of a parent to decide what decisions their child should make on their own. Certain freedoms will benefit teenagers by preparing them to make intelligence decisions as an adult. Our country is one based on choice, so by giving a teenager the option to do right or to do wrong will aid them later in life.
During the teen years, it is important to develop a sense of consequences. If a bad decision is made, it is accompanied by a consequence. Without choice, someone cannot learn from their mistakes and will think that their entire life is already planned. If a balance is maintained between not enough and too many rules, a teenager should flourish in their environment.
The transition from a life free of worries during childhood to the responsibilities of adulthood is very difficult. The burden of rules in society often causes teenagers to become apprehensive of the life that they will soon live.
That is why it is important to be exposed to a pseudo adult life before actual adulthood arrives. Every person in the world adheres to rules, whether that is no cookies before dinner time or you cannot drive while intoxicated. Rules are an important part of society, but like every other good thing, they must be used in moderation.
Through my experience in life, I have found that the kids who had more rules growing up broke more rules as they grew older. Let teenagers have some freedom so they can make the choice to become adults.

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