By Brandon TruongÂ
You might be reading this article to mock me for the fact I crashed my car. You may need this article to exist merely because you want to feel better about yourself. Maybe you are in a car crash right now, crying with the whole world crumbling around you, because that happened to me. It was a dumb move of me to back up into two cars. I was completely at fault and my insurance went through the roof. So I crumbled in the parking lot of Plant Power.
I was in complete shock when it happened. I was on the verge of tears. I thought it would be the last time I’d ever be able to drive. It wasn’t. But now I’m grounded. For the next two weeks of solitary confinement and feeling like an absolute train wreck, there were lessons to be learned, such as understanding my own version of independence, picking myself back up, and staying humble when I didn’t want to be.
It’s hard to be independent. As teenagers, we have to make more decisions for ourselves. The classes you take, your reaction to situations, and your future actions depend on you. Although it’s unfair that Sally gets to go to parties until 4 A.M. and you have to be at home at 11 P.M., that extra time at home lets you spend more time on things that really matter, like homework or sleep. Because you’ve spent more time catching up, in the end you get to spend more time with friends than Sally. If you try to break your parents’ boundaries, you can find yourself on the wrong side of the tracks. In my instance when I crashed my car, I took it upon myself to file a claim. Except because I filed a claim without my parents, my insurance didn’t cover the cost of the entire car, and only plans to fix the part that the collision occurred at. Insurance is a snake. Don’t try to do something new when you have people more experienced around you willing to help you out.
You also have to take care of yourself, physically and mentally. As I’m writing this I’ve already missed a few weeks of school. I spent two days after the collision staying at home and recuperating from the accident. I talked to friends, the police, and even some people across the nation to make me feel better about myself. You’re not weak because you decide to take time for yourself. It’s hard to wake up everyday at 6:00 A.M. and be on time. You spend a 6 hour shift working with a 30 min break before you can go home and relax. You’re a full-time student, but you’re yourself first. So put you first. Take time off of school if you need to. Talk to counselors and teachers as needed. You’re definitely not alone. Let me ask you this, if you’re not willing to help yourself, who will?
Staying humble is a life savior. We are all experiencing this wacky transition from childhood to adulthood. School and family alike will expect us to carry the responsibilities of being an adult, but laws and government will treat us like preschoolers. Don’t try to fight the system because independence isn’t gained from breaking rules, its from creating new ones. You’re independence will come at the time that you are readily mature by yourself and others around you. Keep pushing! You’re going to be a time where you can trust yourself with your own decisions. For now though, you have to humble yourself up. Know that it’s your time to make mistakes, for people to dislike you, and maybe even get into a car crash. Of course you are going to make mistakes on the road to freedom. Of course you will have your own version of a car crash. It’s how you respond that will make a difference.
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