"I mean...like....you know..."

Let's all take a second to reflect on our teen years. Braces, bangs, white eyeliner, this really gross tiger-striped, sequined shirt from Kohls that I wore to an 7th grade dance...

Now, take a second to imagine what it is like now. Sure, kids still have braces, bangs, wear too much eyeliner, and probably have a heinous shirt in their closet, but there is so much more.  Chances are that these kids arent going to look back on the awful outfits they wore (ok, some might), but on the awful Facebook message a frenemy sent them calling them a slut or the time they were harassed for being a little bit different.

I know I have reflected on this before, but it has been on my mind again since starting my second girls group.  This is a group for middle school girls meant to help them learn about themselves, learn tolerance for others, and build self-esteem. The girls could not be more different from each other: one is athletic and one has a shaved head and piercings.  One's very conservative and religious and one claims there is no God. One has straight As and one rarely comes to school. And that is only six of them.   But all of them are dealing with the same things. They all have something in common-- they are 13 and 14 year old girls trying to navigate the halls of their junior high school, hoping to come out on the other end relatively unscathed.

All that these girls want is some attention and knowledge that they are not the only ones.  They feel like there is a spotlight on them and an audience watching every move; they want to know that others are going through the same things.  A little bit of attention goes a long way.

 I encourage any of you who interact with teens girls to slow down and listen, even if every story begins with "I mean...like..." and ends with "...you know?"  Because every Thursday I listen to all of that times 15. And it is worth it.