My parents come home from a long day of work.
They carry no homework in their hands,
I see no straps, bearing unneeded weight on their shoulders,
Or multiple assignments running around their minds.

When I watch them open their old and worn calendars,
I read about the multiple upcoming birthdays and baby showers,
There’s one family cookout next weekend
And one hour long work meeting on Saturday, all so “overwhelming”.

By time the two of them roll into bed,
They’ve only had to make sure they locked the door,
Brushed their teeth,
And watched two episodes of Mike and Molly.

They tell me about the days they spent in high school,
Going to parties every weekend,
And barely getting B’s in their average classes,
With no real expectations other than living upon them.

But see when I step through the door after a long day of school,
There are papers in both of my hands, and hanging in my mouth,
And a whopping 35 pounds upon my back,
While my mind is drowning in essay topics, book readings and page layouts.

When I flip to the current month in my shiny new planner,
I see that I have my weekly Student Council meeting on Monday,
Along with softball practice on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday,
And that this week contains 5 dress rehearsals for the upcoming school musical.

When I’m daydreaming about sneaking into bed,
I realize I must shower and clean my room,
Finish a paper and corresponding power point,
Along with a documentary to notate, and it’s already 12:15.

I sit at my desk in school,
Wishing that I could go to a party this weekend,
Barely keeping my 4.0 GPA,
With the weight of my future sitting on my shoulders.

Adolescence used to be a term for the awkward stage of puberty,
The period when teenagers aren’t treated as children, but cannot yet be adults,
So tell me,
Why do I feel as though I have more responsibility than a 45 year old?

I am aware that this “complaining” is all that teenagers really do,
And that we don’t yet have fully developed minds,
I may not know everything there is to know,
But adolescents have more stress upon them than recognized.

It’s a little overwhelming.