By Vriti Bakshi, Times Chronicle

When most people think of teenagers, the words that come to mind are “hormonal,” “emotional,” and “irrational.” While these are often true, people also overlook the good in teens too, such as their kindness, resilience, and community involvement. 

As a professional teenager, I’ve noticed that some of the older generation of Osoyoos has given youth a bad rap. Yes, sometimes a party gets out of hand or someone may have an attitude, but news flash: most adults have been there and done that as well. 

Adults fail to recognize that they have also been teenagers once, and should have some level of empathy. After all, the teenage experience isn’t a new and revolutionary thing. 

Another issue this town’s population often fails to acknowledge is how being a teenager in Osoyoos already has its own hardships. From having limited after-school activities to things often closing early, there are a lot of normal experiences kids in larger cities would have that we can only dream of. 

This becomes especially true during winter when Osoyoos becomes an empty skeleton of what was once a tourist-filled body. Winter also brings the older “snowbirds” who enjoy this peace and quiet. 

Over the course of growing up in Osoyoos, I’ve noticed the rise of people who don’t seem to like the younger generation. More specifically; older people who sometimes strongly dislike teenagers. The grounds on which some people in this town base their judgments are unfair. 

A lot of the problems that come during summer are created by tourists, but it’s this town’s teenagers that take the blame. These judgments really became a problem when people this summer went as far as saying that teenagers should be banned from Osoyoos and that it should become a retirement-only area. 

The amount of ignorance in that statement is astounding, and it screams: I have no idea who works in this town in the summer, nor anything about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

If those people would pay more attention they would see who bags their groceries, serves their food at restaurants, and scoops their ice cream. It’s teenagers! We all work so hard, and make up a majority of those who work in town during the summer season. 

Removing teenagers from town would mean that there wouldn’t be as many goods and services available for the rest of the town to enjoy, and a lot of businesses would have to shut down due to a lack of workers. 

There’s also a difference between a “stereotypical” teen and the average teen that people often forget. Not all teenagers are constantly out partying and making unwise decisions. The reality is a majority of the teens like to stay home, try to get their homework done, and help out in the community. 

The amount of old people who have judged me or made stereotypical remarks about me is both shocking and ridiculous. From my experience in this town, I’ve encountered just as many grumpy old people as I have angsty teenagers, if not more. 

The picture that has been painted of the newer generation was created with old paint and creates a stigma that only hurts and divides the community. 

The next time you encounter a teenager don’t assume they are rude and pretentious. Treat them with some respect and kindness, and you will probably get the same back. Too many people forget that and then have dogfights with others on social media. 

Remember that the next time there’s a petition to remove the youth from Osoyoos that your local grocery stores, restaurants, and amusement parks will suffer. And so unless there are people willing to replace every missing teenager, it’s safe to say it’s better we stick around.