Food. Clothing. Shelter. We are so lucky to have these provided to us by our parents and yet, we complain about everything we don’t have. However, let’s not think about it or make any arguments about how oppressed we really are–that’s too easy.

Instead, let’s put our lives into perspective. On a normal day, we wake up early and go to school. There, we learn with the materials and eat the food paid for by our parents. For those who don’t drive or ride the bus, our parents or older family members pick us up and take us home, where a hot plate of food is ready for us to eat at the dinner table.

Now think of our parents–how hard they work to earn money, the time they dedicate to us, and the bills and taxes they have to pay for. It’s a lot to handle at once, but they do it anyway because they have adult responsibilities and families to care for. Meanwhile, when we’re reminded of a task at hand, we groan and whine about how being this young shouldn’t require adult responsibilities.

Even when we think that we are adults for having part-time jobs and being able to drive, that doesn’t strip away the privileges we have. Although we get paid at work, we spend our money on social hangouts and shopping sprees. We drive, but with either a family-shared vehicle or one that was more than likely purchased by our parents. We don’t have to pay for mortgage or invest in transportation the same way our parents do.

We are teens. We have privileges. Discard the excuses and realize that we should be thankful for what we have. We may not have as many perks as adults, but we shouldn’t say that we don’t have any. It’s time for us to embrace the benefits we have in life, rather than mope over our responsibilities or the material items that we cannot afford.