Recently, I was working at my church’s coffee house, and a lady was talking about her teenage son. She said, “I will just have to accept that a teenager will be a teenager: one who is risky, disrespectful, and stubborn.” After a deep breath, I thought more about what her words were truly accepting. Many individuals in society do just as she did and accepted his character because of his identity as a teenager.
The term teenager is overused and does not encourage individuals between the ages of 13-19 to act as young adults. A teenager is a person who should be treated as a young adult. Merriam Webster (Meriam Webster, 1828) defines a teenager as “Someone who is between 13 and 19 years old.”[1] The history of the word teenager, current connotation of the term, and the proposed future changes of labeling this group will show the value of understanding our expectations of individuals through spoken words.
A history of the term teenager demonstrates that young people have recently accepted both the title and the modern implications of disrespectfulness, self-centeredness, and carelessness. Facts have been reported that show that, (UShistory.com) “In short, it soon became apparent that a new stage of life -the TEENAGE phase — was becoming a reality in America. American adolescents were displaying traits unknown among children and adults. Although the word teenager did not come into use until decades later, the teenage mindset dawned in the 1920s.”[2]
Nowadays, parents are often heard complaining about their rebellious teenagers with attitudes of aggravation instead of pointing such a young person to biblical role models in Scripture. The addition of this modern word is not inherently terrible. Rather, it is the implications that are attached to it that encourages a lesser sensibility to the Holy Spirit. Individuals between the age of 13-19 should be called young adults because it shows a level of maturity they need to develop before adulthood.
The current connotation of the term teenager creates the normal for people to strive for. Young people who are teenaged act according to their perception of societal expectations of them.
When I was a young girl, I used to think that it would be the epitome of the life of a teenager to get a phone. However, after a long time waiting, I was given permission to get my own phone. I thought that the wonderful teenage dream consisted of looking at a screen for the majority of the day so that my friends who saw me with a phone would think that I was cool. I was absolutely wrong. A mental picture is painted every time someone is referred to as a teenager: disrespectful, addicted to their phone, and probably snapchatting their friends.
Interestingly enough, the word teenager is not written in the Bible. Consequently, no mention of a timeframe directly between adulthood and childhood is found in Scripture.
The proposed future changes of labeling people as teenagers will show the value of understanding our expectations of individuals through spoken words. Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”[3] (NIV, 2002, 1 Corinthians 13:11). Clearly, Paul categorizes a person as either a child or adult. As Christians, every person is called to “[Not] let anyone look down on [them] because [they] are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (NIV, 2002, 1 Timothy 4:12)[4]. Notice the command that he gives does not include the word teenager. Rather, Scripture emphasizes maturity in adults.
In conclusion, the term teenager is overused in society and does not encourage individuals between the ages of 13-19 to act maturely. A teenager is a person who should be treated as a young adult. The history of the word teenager, current connotation of the term, and the proposed future changes of labeling this group will show the value of understanding our expectations of individuals through spoken words. Imagine how much more mature individuals would be if, instead of dubbing them teenager, he or she were called a man or woman. Character qualities such as ownership and maturity would be paramount to modern day adults.
This misuse of terminology will continue to cause a detriment to society unless each person takes action to be more intentional with the use of his or her vocabulary. Society can work together to create stronger expectations for young adults so that they too can realize that maturity matters.
[1] Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Teenager. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teenager
[2] Independence Hall Association. (n.d.). The decade that roared. ushistory.org. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.ushistory.org/us/46.asp
[3] 1 Corinthians 13:11 Zondervan NIV Study Bible (K. L. Barker, Ed.; Full rev. ed.). (2002). Zondervan.
[4] 1 Timothy 4:12, Zondervan NIV Study Bible (K. L. Barker, Ed.; Full rev. ed.). (2002). Zondervan.
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