YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH Nina Hollingsworth, 12
To start off whoever is reading this, you are beautiful inside and out and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you are someone who looks in a mirror and hates what you see don’t put yourself down. Don’t say things like “I’m ugly” or “I’m not enough”. You're amazing, you are beautiful, and you definitely are enough. If others tell you those things, don’t listen to them because sticks and stones may break your bones but words will NEVER hurt you. If it's not a compliment they’re giving you don’t even try to listen. Look in a mirror now and you need to love what you see. Nothing about you is ugly, and ALWAYS remember that. Building your self-esteem is really important, because if you don’t it could lead to depression or anxiety. Or it could lead to smoking or drinking as a way of “coping” which is something I notice a lot of kids are doing these days. Things like that could lead to tragic results. You can build your self esteem simply by just saying good things about yourself everyday. Trying to stay away from toxic friendships or fake people is a good way to because they could very well be your main source to your low self esteem. You could also help others because doing good deeds could help you feel better about yourself. If you have someone that you know was always there for you through thick and thin, I want you to talk to that person and or those people. Talk to them about how you feel and what you're going through so they can build you up when you're down. I know personally I have plenty of those people. I hope that my article helped you realize how beautiful you are. I hope it helped you realize that there are always going to be people that won’t like you and try to bring you down. Just don’t listen to them, don't even acknowledge that they're there. You are more than enough and you're never alone!
THE CHANGE OF A GENERATION by Jaaziah Thompson
Social media is like a drag to teenagers in this generation. It controls kids and by that, teenagers put social media before their priorities. It is important for teens to learn how to find more productive things to do rather than being on Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, etc. In our generation everyone including adults are addicted to social media. I see teens and adults on their phone almost every time I’m in public. Also, kids are committing suicide because they feel like they don’t matter to the people who care about them. It makes us feel bad and can be hurtful. It makes us angry and we need an outlet to let our feelings out. Some parents today are not as responsible with their kids. Teens feel like their parents let them do whatever they want, which shows lack of responsibility. Teens go out because their parents work a lot. For some teens when they are out, they will do things they’re not supposed to be doing especially fighting. The effects of parents not paying attention can result in teenagers going out on the streets and getting into serious trouble. When unsupervised teens go out into the streets they sometimes rob, steal, kill, or fight for attention especially when they are left alone with unresolved feelings. Even I have got in trouble for fighting one time, but I also learned from my mistake. To prevent this, parents should be a lot more responsible with their children. Be more involved. The main thing that affects kids is social media, and that is something parents should try to get under control. Parents can help this generation by spending more time with their kids. They can start by staying off their phones and stop putting work before family. Hopefully, this generation and the next will make strong improvements. We all need to come together to build a bond and maybe we can improve as a generation. It would also be helpful to find out our interest are and things we like to do. Less criticism. More community activities such as neighborhood basketball, football, and kickball tournaments would get parents and teens bonding with each other. Another suggestion would be for parents to play video games with their teens, board games, or exercise together. In summary, we can help each other if the new generation can be more honest about their feelings and the older generation can learn more about us, the new generation by spending more time with us and getting to know us better.
22 | rallyupmagazine.com | Spring 2020
