By Marlie Lucille

My name is Marlie. Many people that know me call me Mars and have for my whole life. Although I am familiar with this publication because of my mother’s affiliation with it, it is my first time writing for it. I was asked to write different articles from the perspective of a teenager. My articles will be directly from a Williamson County teenager to give you, as a parent or a grandparent (or even a teacher), an idea of what a teen’s perspective really is on different situations. I am in the eighth grade at a Franklin Special School District middle school and, although this is my first time being published, I still think like a normal teenager in 2019 and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you.

This month’s column is about what teens are thankful for. Teenagers have a lot to say about this topic, as much as it may surprise some people. I, for one, am thankful for “The Office” on Netflix, my comfy couch, the privacy of my own room, my big sister and both of my brothers. I’m thankful when the barista at Starbucks actually spells my name correctly (which has only happened once); I’m thankful for the meals that my mom makes just for me when I’m not feeling great. All in all, I am grateful for the close relationship I have with my family.

To be more specific, I’m thankful for the conversations with my sister regarding her high school; the times when my big brother teaches me how to ride a ripstik as well as he does, and laughing at cartoons on television with my little brother. I love that my mom and I have shows on TV that we watch together and have the best heart-to-heart talks that all daughters should have with their moms. And I love that my stepdad and I have our own little inside jokes. I am thankful for those little things. They’re little, but to me, they’re big.

It’s easy to rattle off things that make me thankful because, at this stage in my life, I have become more aware of what makes me smile each week...and what doesn’t.

However, a lot of what teenagers are thankful for varies. I suppose it truly depends on the person, but most do have an individual sense of what they are thankful for. So I decided to ask a few other kids my age as to what they’re thankful for and collectively they said that they are thankful for their families and the close friendships they have had through the years. Most of us, though, are also are very thankful for our outlets. Whether it is theatre, soccer, art, or reading - these things help us cope with the stress that we all have. We are grateful for it.

We all know that kids between thirteen and nineteen (for the most part), are not known for their please and thank yous and it seems ungrateful. Still, teens do express gratitude but maybe not as an adult or parent would expect or even appreciate at the moment. Us sharing some middle or high school gossip with our parents, giving a random hug, sitting down on the couch to watch television...well, it’s a way to “unofficially” communicate that we trust and appreciate that parent or adult. Most often, yes, we like our rooms and preferably with the door shut and the airpods in, but there are definitely times when we need and want to hear “you’re right” or “I understand.” When we hear it, we are grateful.

We are grateful for those times when a parent allows us to go to our room and just be, and most of us do appreciate the space and privacy... a lot. Receiving privacy means you are trustworthy. That is basic. But if a teen has a rough patch, taking away that privacy to an extreme is a sure way to distance a parent from him/her and it often makes things worse.

And don’t take our “weird” way of communicating as abnormal because most of the time, it’s not. Play to our good parts instead of always bringing up our faults and we will remember...and will be grateful.

Even though it might not always be obvious, teens will always be thankful for grace and understanding before anger. Consistent anger is one of the biggest things that can make us shut down. Life is tough for us and we are grateful for any grace given to us.

At the end of the day, teenagers are grateful for many things and, yes, most often we are struggling to show it in the ways we can express. We are not very touchy-feely with our parents at this stage of life but for a parent, just being there for us is very important. Friends, family and support are things we are thankful for, even if a parent can’t always see how we communicate it through our teenage methods.