Laughing to keep from crying

The other day, on my way into the city from Brooklyn I noticed a kid on the street wearing a t-shirt that read: “Life is short.” It seemed a big realization for someone who looked no more than thirteen.

The same tongue-in-cheek self-awareness colors Laurie Rosenwald’s inspired book, “All the Wrong People Have Self Esteem.” This loud, brash, whimsical analysis of the most exhilarating and confusing time of life is a refreshing counterpoint to the so-serious Teen Vogues and Gossip Girls of the world.

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Both of these examples point to one positive side effect of pop culture’s youth culture mania of the 90’s and aughts (a pointless obsession we’re only just emerging from now): self-consciousness giving way to self-awareness.

Kids today are growing up fast, but they know it. And while they might not be able to slow things down, they can certainly dredge things up. Bringing honesty to light in the form of bold t-shirt slogans and funny books eliminates mystery and confusion and allows for dialogue with peers and parents who can compress the natural uncertainties of this stage into a more manageable format.

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I worried privately about my first kiss for years. Kids today twitter about it, Facebook it, text it…CONNECT about it…and move on.