Senior Realization

Becoming a senior this year is much different than what I thought it was going to be. There are much more responsibilities along with the new freedoms and adventures it brings. Turning 18 is a big turning point in one’s life and with the expectations of many, knowing what to do with one’s life is just one of the many steps that will launch us into our future.

Since the beginning of this high school year, we all thought it was going to be easy. No homework, no standardized tests, no being told what to do, wrong. Since the beginning of the first day of school that’s all it’s been: nonstop studying, tests, ACT registrations, scholarship applications, jobs, athletics, competitions, etc. With all the stress that the young adult life brings, I’m beginning to think that being all grown up isn’t what I want to be anymore. Instead, I rather be six again riding my bicycle around the block or going to the lake and spending time with family and going trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

For some high school seniors though, it is the start of a brand new life, parenthood. While we experienced many of the seniors last year and some sophomores walking around with their perfectly round bellies, we all thought, why?  For some it’s a personal choice, while for others it is an accident, but either way they unconsciously made the decision to sacrifice their life for another. For students, those who are expecting, they have stepped up in bigger ways than one, and even more so than the average high school student could ever imagine.

Sleep deprivation is also a big thing that I am noticing among seniors and other students. With football, basketball, cheer, and dance practices after school many are exhausted, not to mention the tests they study for right before they go to bed, and even if students aren’t at after school practices such as band or track or the others mentioned above some do have to work. With multitasking and staying up to all hours of the night cramming what information they can get in, many are depriving themselves of adequate sleep just to be able to do well in school.

Whether it’s juggling sports, kids, or after school jobs, every student has to find a way to keep up to date, and for some seniors this year it is a real reality check. Since the beginning of this high school year, I’m noticing that turning 18 isn’t what it’s cracked out to be. With so much stress, responsibilities, and dead lines, I already feel as if my life is turning into mirror image of my parents’ lives.  

Rebekah Morrison