What do wearing make-up, chatting on MSN, watching the O.C and checking out boys have in common? If you guessed things that are significant to a thirteen year old girl, then you would be right! Good afternoon Mr. Hawken, Mrs. Mattie, and fellow classmates. I'm here to discuss life as a thirteen year old girl.
I don't know what happens to girls at this age, but we all seem to have turned into drama queens! For instance, it could be an ordinary day when some minor event occurs and later on either MSN or the phone, we have to dissect it a million different ways until we barely have a breath left!
Any little thing could trigger such intense conversation. For example, two girls coming to class wearing the same thing. Can you imagine? What a catastrophe! We also spend lots of time trying to figure out what is really going on inside that boy's head or what he really meant when he made that comment.
There are many great things you get to experience as a thirteen year old girl. It's nice to have gained some independence and be allowed to wear makeup. It is so much fun when my friends and I go into the drugstore and try all the shades of lip-gloss. Socializing with my friends is a great perk of being thirteen. We have a blast going to dances, having sleepovers, watching "chick flicks" and going shopping.
While there are many cool and exciting things about being thirteen, there are also some serious issues to be concerned with. As I mentioned, having friends is great but it can be all too easy to fall in with the wrong crowd or be influenced by peer pressure. You can face many difficult situations during this period of time. There is sometimes an inner struggle between what you feel is the right thing to do versus trying to impress your peers. There are many dangers in society that teens need to be aware of. It seems that more and more people are experimenting with alcohol and drugs. Some teens are under the impression that it is cool to try this. They may not really want to do it deep down, but feel obligated to try to fit in. The scary thing is that even trying drugs once or twice can lead to a problem or even an addiction so risky situations should be avoided. For example, at parties somebody may try to take advantage of you. You must look out for yourselves and your friends. If you are under the influence of mind altering substances, you have a greater chance of making wrong decisions or ending up in dangerous situations.
Having said that, the positive things that we are able to experience as thirteen year olds in grade eight are wonderful. We are in our final year of elementary school and it's fun to be the leaders of St. Michael's.
As graduation apporoaches we can look back on our years here, and break into a smile or maybe even shed a tear. As we look forward to high school and we move on in our own directions. We cherish the experiences we shared with our friends, and look forward to accomplishing new goals and making new memories to treasure.
