In October, I wrote about all the things that stress out kids today. It was kind of a downer. I mean, from my post, you’d think life pretty much sucked for anyone pre-21.
Is that the case? No! Sure, kids today have lots of stresses, many of which are bigger than the same stresses were fifty years ago; on the flip side, fewer of today’s young people stress out about where they will get their next meal or whether Dad will come back from war in one piece. Stresses come and go with time.
Since then, I’ve been wanting to follow up with something more upbeat. Yes, today’s young people face lots of pressure and stress from multiple directions, but they also experience more pure fun in a week than most of us fuddy-duddy grownups manage in a year. I think that’s part of why I enjoy writing for young people: it reminds me to see life’s joys and wonders as if for the first time—as if I, too, were a child.
Are you writing for children or teenagers? Then maybe this list of “firsts” will inspire!