Do teens need to be taught on etiquette?

This week's topic would be on whether teenagers nowadays need to be taught on basic manners and social etiquettes. Youth's nowadays are seen as the lost generation by the older crowd. Their behaviour and body language is seen as offensive and vulgar. Adolescents are seen as ego-driven slackers with their head held up high and views said out loud. The elders who have been brought up in a different reality from the current generation show resentment when they see such attitude.

In the earlier generations, teenagers were forced to obey and follow traditons. It was also of utmost importance to be thankful and respectful to people who were older than them. They had to endure the harsh and sometimes insensitive words of adults. They were not allowed to retort or give snide comments to the people older than them even if they were right.

Hence, it comes an advantage that teenagers nowadays are more assertive and fight for their rights. So instead of just taking in whatever is hurled in their way, they take it in their stride and handle these situations by themselves. Adolescence would be the stage where your a kid yet an adult simultaneously. Hence, it comes by hard to make the right decisions as your childishness in you wants to take risky decisions whereas your maturity resents it. When your a teenager you also become more aware of life and find ways to release the steam and pain. Hence indulging in such nonchalant behaviour.Teenage angst is very much misunderstood. Teens do not want to forced into decisions and fight for freedom. Therefore, they oversee the norms and traditions. Adults see this as arrogance and see their walk as swaggering. However, teens are also partially at fault.

Their attitude overwhelms them and they later tend to overdo it. Some teens behave in an irksome attitude on purpose to annoy others around them. Research shows some unbelievable statistic. Whilst kids take 30% risks and adults take 20% risks; adolescents take 80% risk. Their free will attitude transforms into a 'why do i care' attitude. This also drives them to adopt amore violent and offensive behaviour. The unneccessary use of expletives and profanities increases. They refuse to listen or take advices from experienced and older people. This is where teens need to be taught on how to control themselves. Seesions or lessons on how to behave gracefully needs to be conducted. In Singapore, the goverment has made it mandatory for civil moral educations to be conducted in all primary and secondary schools. However, these things cannot really be taught or forced upon, it should come voluntarily.

Etiquettes coming from within also goes back to the background of the teenagers and the environment they have been brought up in. Alot of teenagers have gone through emotional or psychological pain and have received no family support. Or worst, their family are the ones making their lives worst by their discouragement. Hence, their escape from this hell would be their defiance.

In conclusion, I think that teens need to be taught etiquette and the perfect time to be taught would be when they are in primary and secondary school. They also require some counselling sessions to be emotionally stable. However, besides that, i think it depends on how they were brought up and what they have gone through. Teenagers are just plainly misunderstood. Adults also need to know that they are growing up and need to give them more space.

yours truly:PAVITRA S