Wasted youth

[Iseeyouthere]

This may come off as a bit of a personal rant, but I need to get it out. Plus, it somewhat ties with the the thread about the older generations going on about 'laziness' of younger generations.

Got an email from my uncle, providing me some info and help offers to help me find 'professional work'. I'm a grateful for this, for he is trying to help me.

Having completed High School 2 years ago and attending a Uni, which sadly wasn't for me, I'm now heading towards a study course in the local area, he put pressure on the situation by saying how I'm up against 2 years of High School finishers, I don't have a huge selection of skills and that this study course is 'a stepping stone'.

He speaks a lot of truth there.

But he has also pissed me off.
Telling me that I'll look back at these days and how I sat in a 'dark computer room', with the feeling of it being wasted.

Wasted... when during that time I have dealt:
With personal issues of Asperger's Syndrome, affecting my social skills and interactions.
With school issues of bullying, being left out, feeling distant and often hating to go each week.
With family issues, which lead to the seperation of my parents plus other disputes...

This "dark computer room" is not wasted youth.

I've dealt with most of my social issues with the help of the Internet, by allowing me to research and socialise.
I have made strong friends in the real world, thanks to this computer. REAL friends. Not pixels, not fakes. Real.
I've managed to stay focused on things by letting myself get distracted by the dark room, helping me focus on other important things rather than the issues of parents fighting.


This is not wasted youth.

Furthermore... with this offer of "profesional work", I feel unhappy. I have just discovered a new world, filled with friends and social activites that I want to enjoy, something I couldn't experience before. With this study course, I feel like a whole new world could open up for me.

The thought of having to wear office clothes so soon feels... restrictive and crushing.
Screw you older gen... You may wanna live to work... But I wanna work to live.

Thank you for reading the rant.

[BlaqueKatt]

And of course I have a song for that.....seriously I have a song for just about everything.....

[jackfaire]

There is no such thing as wasted Youth.

It doesn't exist. It got you where you are. There is always someone that will be jealous of your life and the way you live it.

He is a bit of an idiot I think that is one of the differences of our generation we seek to be happy first. Happiness begets happiness.

[Sleepwalker]

Sounds like projection to me. I personally find people who go clubbing every night and never have enough money to buy gas puzzling, but their life is not 'wasted' because of it. It makes them happy.

[Andara Bledin]

I would think the only really "wasted" youth would be a childhood spent taking care of adult responsibilities because the adults around are useless or worse.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

*snickers* The only wasted youth was 22 year old me after a fifth of Tequila

[DGoddess]

I would think the only really "wasted" youth would be a childhood spent taking care of adult responsibilities because the adults around are useless or worse.

^-.-^

I was one of those kids growing up. I had a single mom who worked 2, sometimes 3 jobs to keep a roof over our heads, a grandmother who had health issues (paralyzed hand, bum leg that she walked with a limp on, not to mention Parkinson's) and a younger brother who has mental and developmental issues.

My spare time outside of school consisted of housework (learned how at an early age to wash dishes, clean down the bathroom, make beds, vacuum et al) laundry and some of the cooking.

When I wasn't doing that, I was outside riding my bike around the neighborhood or on the front porch in the rocking chair listening to music (had my bedroom windows open and the stereo going on the other side - this was back before I had a boombox to take outside with me) or I'd be in my room with a book.

While most of the other kids in the neighborhood roamed the streets late at night, the girls wearing heavy makeup and skintight clothes, I was outside on the porch listening to music and glad I wasn't that bored to be like them.

Even as a teenager, I was taking care of the house and trying to help with Mom, who had been seriously injured in a car wreck when I was 13 and spent over a year relearning to walk, take care of herself, regain her memory. After she went back to work, I was still taking care of stuff, even after Grandma died when I was 17. When I wasn't doing housework, I was in front of the typewriter in my room (best present my Dad ever gave me - a vintage manual typewriter when I was 14 that he bought second hand) writing on a story. That was all I wanted to do . . . stay in my room with either the tv or stereo on at that typewriter . . . .letting my imagination run wild.

Just do that now with a computer instead.

Was my youth wasted? No. I simply did what had to be done given the circumstances. Anyone wants to say otherwise can kiss my ass for all I care.

[Andara Bledin]

You were lucky. Your personality was such that you didn't need a lot of time to follow the pursuits you enjoyed.

There are other personality types for whom a childhood like that would have been utter hell. My brother would have imploded. He was an extremely active kid and having to stay home that much would have been more than he could have coped with.

I, like you, was just as happy at home as out and about and would have coped with such a situation much better.

So, to adjust my statement slightly: I would think the only really "wasted" youth would be a childhood spent giving up on any personal pursuits and taking care of adult responsibilities because the adults around are unavailable, useless, or worse.

^-.-^