Adolescence and limits

           Even though Mozart had been an amazing musician since the age of 5, he could only experience the art of being a court musician in Salzburg in his teenage. Later this post entitled him to receive the denomination of “genius”. Beethoven learned how to play the violin, the piano, the organ and viola with several teachers when he was little, but in his adolescence he could experience cultural knowledge enough to enable him to revolutionize the way music was composed.  Francisco Cândido Xavier, a Brazilian medium, experienced spirituality in his teenage as never before. His school papers revealed he had been guided by superior intelligences.   Chaplin in his adolescence experienced performing in the company of the acrobat Fred Karno, what made him quickly overtake the success of the renowned  comedian Harry Weldon, giving rise to the  unique “Carlito”.

          Therefore, teenagers’ parents shouldn’t be surprised with the fact that  adolescence is a phase in life based on “experimentations”. And By the way, from a psychological point of view, they are fundamental to enable these young people to find out more about themselves and about what they may become in their future lives.

          However, what changes from generation to generation, from culture to culture, is what teenagers have been experiencing in life. For instance, according to a research published by the local newspaper Zero Hora, which compared the 2006 teenage generation and the one today:

·         Teenagers nowadays are not wearing condoms as much as in  2006;

·        Alcohol consumption today gets to 84% among teenagers up to the age of 17;

·        Weeds consumption has also increased.

·        47% of teenagers are anxious and 49% have difficulties in concentrating these days.

           It’s  regrettable that we are not getting any better than in  2006.

          What can parents do? What can we all have in hands to improve these data?

           I can’t see any other short term solution besides the one I bring up here:

          …if these teenagers’ parents could at least experience better things, allow themselves to  know about meditation and prayers or get interested in good music, read and talk about stimulating books, arise the sensibility for arts and poetry,  have time to enjoy nature and everything that is natural,  be willing and bold enough to know themselves better.

          These parents, reinvigorated  by their habits, will fatefully instigate their teenage children to experiment more prosperous circumstances.

          That means, our teenagers should become even more “enthusiastic” about experiencing  life. If their curiosity is tuned with what enriches their soul  as well as their eyes, they will make a revolution by getting to know, from the very beginning, the art of  being  truly fulfilled.

 (tradução do texto "adolescência e limites" - by Ana Calvo)