On the occasion of his 13th birthday, his Bar Mitzvah, a young Jewish boy is told,
“…today, son, you are a man.”
But when a young American girl reaches the age of 13, what is she told? “Today, daughter, you are a…teenager!”
…On being 13,
She is too old for a traditional “pin the tail on the donkey” birthday party;
But she’s too young not to want one.
…On being 13,
She’s too old to play official Little League Ball;
But she is too young for the big league stuff.
…On being 13,
She is too old not to tend to younger brothers and sisters;
But she is too young to slip easily from role of sister to substitute mom and back to sister.
…On being 13,
She is too old not to be responsible about money, be it hers or that which she collects on behalf of an organization;
But she is too young to save for those events which MIGHT occur, instead of spending every cent on the moment’s delight.
…On being 13,
She is too old not to seek the company of older schoolmates who do not welcome her fully;
But she is still too young to realize her shunning of younger kids equates the same.
…On being 13,
She’s too old not to yearn to drive a car;
But she is too young even for a learner’s permit.
…On being 13,
She is too old not despise the childish quarrels that happen between peers, the ‘she’s mad at me’ bit;
But she’s too young to refrain from getting involved.
…On being 13,
She is too old not to hurt when she sees sufferings around the world;
But, she is too young to know how to reach out and help, and that hurts even more.
…On being 13,
She is too old not to be very much aware of boys;
But she is too young to cope graciously with boys who have become aware of her.
…On being 13,
She is too old for her parents to correct constantly; she must assume some responsibility for her own actions;
But she is too young for her parents to refrain from nagging remarks - ‘don’t do that!
Do this instead.
…On being 13,
She is too old not to be aware of herself as a person;
But she is too young know readily whether or not she likes this person that she is…and is becoming.
…On being 13,
Too old?
Too young?
This 13-year-old, Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde TEENager, who changes from sage to child at a whim, is surprisingly content with the metamorphosis. And therein, perhaps, lies the blessings of the ‘growing up’ phases of life.
1975
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