The world is a flurry of complicated issues and problems. We encourage young people to get involved in current events and speak their mind. However, we sometimes forget that teenagers live in their own world of problems by just being teenagers. And so, when we write about seemingly small, personal issues rather than “breaking news!” headlines in which all of us should be interested, it’s because issues that get teens all tied up in knots are not trivial at all.
Turn off that spotlight!
Take shyness, for example. Dad, your son or daughter is painfully shy. He sits near the back at school. She never raises her hand. He would never volunteer to do anything that would place him in the dreaded spotlight. She has no friends, perhaps because she chooses to withdraw into her cocoon.
Lots of people are shy to some degree. Some are so shy that they get sick if they have to speak in front of a group. In school, some kids run to their next class just to avoid walking in late and becoming a momentary center of attention. Then once in their seat, they slump far enough down so that, hopefully, the teacher won’t call on them. Of course, that calls even more attention to them and is a surefire way to be recognized.
A person of mystery