When I tell people how much I am enjoying motherhood, I am so often met with the response “oh just wait until they’re teenagers”. There seems to be a cultural fear that our perfect little babies will transform into monsters on their 13thbirthday and that all we can do is batten the hatches and wait out the storm. In this paper, I will claim that the view of adolescents that we promote is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If Western society starts to view the period in a more positive light, we can elicit better outcomes for our youth. I have worked with so many teenagers who are lovely and conscientious. They want to make the world a better place and want to make their families proud. Statistics echo my beliefs. Drug use, delinquency, and criminal activity has decreased amongst youth, while volunteering and involvement in climate & social justice movements has increased.The perception of teenagers being moody and rebellious is not ubiquitous. In cultures where this view is not promoted, teenagers have low rates of embodying these characteristics. This demonstrates that our negative cultural view of adolescents is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If Western culture begins to promote a more positive view of adolescents, we can improve the health and well-being of the youth we work with.
