The Secret Life of the American Teenager
By Megan, age 16, Colorado
Christopher, Jack, Claire, and Samuel. Those are the names of my future children. I'm going to go to Boston University, become an English teacher, and have a book published before the age of 30. I'll live in Connecticut and have an amazing husband whose job supplies enough money for us to not have to worry about financial issues. We'll have a vacation house, go to Europe, be active in the community ... but best of all, we'll be happy.
This is my secret life. This is what I dream about, and sometimes what keeps me going on those rough days. You see, while "the secret life of an American teenager" can be thought to be scandalous, embarrassing, or even illegal, it truly consists of none of these. Teenagers are so different these days, from our clothing preferences to our biggest secrets, that there is no exact "secret life" that we all live. Rather, the thing we do share is that we each have a dream. Our secret lives are those we make up. They are the fantasies we lay in bed thinking about every night. They are the lives we spend so long figuring out every detail to, and would do anything to have. Best of all, they are what we live for.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote:"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." These words of wisdom are what all American teenagers subconsciously follow. We set goals for ourselves, just as people recommend. Then we work towards these goals in every opportunity that we can find - which is what makes us who we are. Our secret lives become the guidelines of how we live every day, and the driving force in most of our actions. For those with strong self-control, our future keeps us from trouble. Even for those who simply can't stay above the influence, their future is what will probably inspire them to do greater things.
So, while many people can criticize the young adults of America and claim they have secret lives involving negative things, the truth behind the average teenager is that they aspire to be so much more. They look towards the future and plan for a better life, and their dreams are what make them original. And with these dreams in mind, the secret life of the American teenager is inspirational, imaginative, and encouraging.