Hi, I'm Sofia and I've been seventeen years old for three months.
"Hi Sofia".
Yes, as you can tell by the intro to this article and your impulse to greet me as if we were in group therapy, this is going to be a rant.
So get ready, grab some tea to spill, and let's go!
As I said, I'm seventeen years old and, here in Italy, this means that I'll be of age when I reach eighteen. This leaves me nine months to be a kid, before I transform into an adult and I start doing things like driving, voting, and stressing about the future.
"Hi Sofia".
Yes, as you can tell by the intro to this article and your impulse to greet me as if we were in group therapy, this is going to be a rant.
So get ready, grab some tea to spill, and let's go!
As I said, I'm seventeen years old and, here in Italy, this means that I'll be of age when I reach eighteen. This leaves me nine months to be a kid, before I transform into an adult and I start doing things like driving, voting, and stressing about the future.
Now, this wouldn't be that much of a problem, because I'm kinda used to pressure about the future. I've been under it every school year, either because I had to decide what school I wanted to attend next, or I had exams approaching.
The problem is, as always, society. Okay, maybe it's just my family (but I doubt it).
But, ever since I've become a seventeen-year-old, my grandparents, my cousins, my aunts, my friends, and even my librarian friend have reminded me that I'm going to be eighteen; an adult; responsible.
And so, like every good seventeen-year-old, I started panicking.
I bought textbooks to learn how to drive, I tried learning about my country's political system and parties (but I quit pretty soon 'cause I couldn't understand anything) and I began learning household chores, like ironing and cooking (I'm proud to say that I only burned one pan).
The problem is, as always, society. Okay, maybe it's just my family (but I doubt it).
But, ever since I've become a seventeen-year-old, my grandparents, my cousins, my aunts, my friends, and even my librarian friend have reminded me that I'm going to be eighteen; an adult; responsible.
And so, like every good seventeen-year-old, I started panicking.
I bought textbooks to learn how to drive, I tried learning about my country's political system and parties (but I quit pretty soon 'cause I couldn't understand anything) and I began learning household chores, like ironing and cooking (I'm proud to say that I only burned one pan).
As I'm writing this I've recovered from my soon-to-be-adult anxiety.
After all, I've still got time to learn all these things. And it's not like I have to have it all figured out before the clock strikes midnight on my birthday night.
C'mon, I have friends who are of age, can't cook and don't have a drivers licence.
Plus, when I'll be nineteen (which is pretty far, but speaking of the future...) I'll be able to relate to the Hamilton lyric "only nineteen, but my mind is older". It may be silly, but it's a dream of mine.
So, to all my fellow seventeen-year-olds, I say that you don't have to figure it all out. You can do it slowly and, while you're still minors, do something only you can do, like using the movie theatre discount or the kids menu at the restaurant.
Let's be "young", while we still can.
And if your family dares to pressure you, just read them this article.
After all, I've still got time to learn all these things. And it's not like I have to have it all figured out before the clock strikes midnight on my birthday night.
C'mon, I have friends who are of age, can't cook and don't have a drivers licence.
Plus, when I'll be nineteen (which is pretty far, but speaking of the future...) I'll be able to relate to the Hamilton lyric "only nineteen, but my mind is older". It may be silly, but it's a dream of mine.
So, to all my fellow seventeen-year-olds, I say that you don't have to figure it all out. You can do it slowly and, while you're still minors, do something only you can do, like using the movie theatre discount or the kids menu at the restaurant.
Let's be "young", while we still can.
And if your family dares to pressure you, just read them this article.