http://comics.lucyknisley.com/2010/11/it-gets-better-3/For a lot of people, the years spent growing up are the worst years of their lives. Don't tell them they're the best, just because they were the best years of yours. Growing up can be hell.
My teen years were pretty easy compared to some of the horror stories I've heard. I grew up in northern NJ, in a pretty enlightened town and a pretty enlightened time. There was a lot for a teenager to do and the teenybopper dollar was gaining clout. But still, I was bullied and harassed. People who said to my face -- to this day!-- that they were my friends stuffed nasty notes in my locker. I spent a long, difficult time figuring out who I was and what I wanted, and another long, difficult time accepting that.
The best time of my life is now. I've paid my dues and set my course. I have few demands or responsibilities, and a lot of good people around me. Most importantly, I have the power of choice - I don't have to spend my "free" time around people I would not want to see or hear from.
It gets better. Adulthood has been much easier for me than anything that came before. I'm thirty, and this is the best year of my life.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}