Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
Skateboarding for hours on end after school, roaming around the mall with friends despite having no money to shop, working your first job at a coffee shop and feeling invincible through it all. Being a teenager was an incredibly special experience, but at the time, many of us were fixated on fantasizing about the future. When I grow up, I’ll be able to stay out as late as I want!
The realities of being an adult often hit us like a ton of bricks, though. Suddenly, bills seem endless, and you realize that groceries don’t magically appear in your fridge. To help prepare teens for “the real world,” Redditors have been sharing some of the most important things young people should understand. So below, you’ll find some hard truths and sage advice that your teenage self may have benefited from hearing, as well as a conversation with Daniel Friedman of Modern Teen.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.
— Captain Jean-Luc Picard
RELATED:
#2
You are better off being the naive idiot who’s always nice even to mean people than to be mean to nice people.
#3
$1000 is a lot to owe but not a lot to have…
To learn more about what teens should learn before entering "the real world," we reached out to Daniel Friedman, the Founder of Modern Teen, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. When it comes to the top things Daniel thinks teens should understand before becoming adults, he shared, "Not everything is as black and white as it seems. Try to understand both sides of any situation and formulate your own opinion before choosing a side."
"Working on yourself only gets harder as you get older, so don't stop taking care of your mind and body," he continued. "Building good habits is one of the most important things you can do before you enter the real world as an adult, and getting rid of bad habits is equally as powerful."
#4
During high-school learning how to learn is more important than anything you're actually learning.
#5
Life never “settles down”. If something is important to you then you should get to it ASAP.
#6
Don’t worry about not having the respect of people you don’t respect.
Daniel also shared some advice his teenage self could have benefited from hearing. "Talk to more people and work on your confidence. I closed myself off too much as a teen, and I could've been even more confident as a person today if I just opened up a little more to people," he told Bored Panda.
We were also curious about what the best parts of being a teen are and what they should be sure to take advantage of while they can. "As a teenager, you're still surrounded by the same people everyday - and that's a good thing because you have the chance to build some great connections with others, while being more mature than a young kid," Daniel noted. "But you have to learn to not rely on your phone and social media all the time because real life will become less interesting the more you use it."
#7
Friendships take maintenance.
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
Make sure you drop maintenance "how are you" messages every month to anyone you actually like. Takes minimal effort, can be copy/pasted, makes people think you care enough to bother.
#8
You can work hard and do all the right things and it doesn't guarantee success.
You can be the kindest, best person for others, and they can still betray you.
But that doesn't mean you should not be kind and work hard.
#9
You know how sometimes you think to yourself "when I'm an adult and have my own place I'll be able to do whatever I want"?
Make sure whatever you want includes doing the dishes
Finally, Daniel added, "Practice discipline and focus on your independence as early as possible. The earlier you can do that, the easier the transition into adulthood will be. Best of luck!"
If you're a teen who'd like to hear more words of wisdom, or you have a teen who might appreciate the insight on Daniel's site, be sure to visit Modern Teen right here!
#10
PEOPLE LIE. Just because they're an adult doesn't mean they always tell the truth.
LinManuelMiranda 1 year ago
This is something all kids have to realize at some point and for some it can be quite a rude awakening
#11
Document everything with your landlord. Keep texts, receipts, no oral agreements, and follow everything to the tenancy laws.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
And photos, take and keep photos from day1 of the tenancy else you'll get blamed for damage that was already there.
#12
You are the main character in your story but You are not even an afterthought to 7 billion people.
Edit: 8 billion people, damn!
kansasmagic 1 year ago
...and some of you (us) will feel more like a background character in our own story.
#15
For better or for worse, confidence opens as many doors as competence.
#16
If you dont plan your own b-day parties you wont have b-day parties. Friends planing something for you are super rare. Its not like on tv. You have to make an effort to have a social life.
You ll have to work to have a good life and you ll be tired like you never have been before. It will make having fun and going out harder.
Enjoy being a teenager as long as you can. But dont try to fight becoming an adult, because it will just get harder and harder.
#18
There is a huge chance the people you call your closest friends now, wont be in your life in the upcoming years.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
Fake friends are like shadows. They are present in your brightest times but they disappear in your darkest.
#20
No one owes you s**t. Realizing this is what pushed me into being successful after being a jerkoff student all through school.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
Again, I've seen this way less in teenagers and way *more* in older people
#21
Nobody really knows what they’re doing
#22
Get a good mattress, the best for as much as you can afford.
Brush your teeth.
SAVE MONEY
Exercise, eat well. (Don't deny yourself eating c**p) just do it proportionally.
Make your bed every morning.
People are a******s. (You find out the ones that aren't, keep them close)
Don't try and please everyone.
Don't take anything to heart, even from loved ones, you're your own person. Know what to believe and appreciate.
Don't get cheap toilet paper
Don't get cheap washing up liquid
Learn how to change wheels on a car, bike etc.
Learn how to replace car bulbs, basic checks, how to use jump leads.
Learn to sew, to mend clothing.
SAVE MONEY
don't get the 'best' of everything, get what you can afford without getting yourself into debt.
Learn to cook.
Learn to relax
Learn to clean
Look after your body.
Drink water.
SAVE MONEY.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
Save money IF YOU ARE ABLE. Telling someone living paycheck to paycheck to save money is condescending at best.
#23
Having a goal and a plan in life doesn't automatically mean it's going to work out, especially if you don't come from money. It's okay to fail. This world is kinda f****d up, and it's not always your fault.
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
I dont plan at all. I find that just accepting every reasonable opportunity offer is the best way. Especially if there is no buy-in cost. If there is a buy-in cost then do not take the opportunity, it is a scam or MLM.
#24
Your job sees you as replaceable. Look out for yourself and your family. Your job is not everything but it will feel like it is, make sure that if you don't like where you are that you change it. Don't be miserable at a job because it pays well
#25
Society owes you nothing, and the universe is indifferent.
OmBoyGanesh 1 year ago
“Who do you think you are? You're insignificant. A small piece, an ism. No more, no less” - Tricky
#26
The ones that’ll hurt you most are those closest to you.
LinManuelMiranda 1 year ago
Oh yeah. My middle school boyfriend was my closest friend for years before we dated and when things didn't work out it hurt me more than anything
#27
1. You would be amazed at the things each person on this earth has had to overcome. Everyone has a story, everyone here has battled, and everyone is a victim of something or someone. Be proud of your survival and celebrate your birthdays.
2. We are complex creatures. We are not defined by any one action but by the decisions we make day to day. Of course, extreme decisions will sway the tides. Point is, someone can be nice and charming and wonderful and a hero, and also an evil opportunist in the next moment. Never give someone total control of your safety and well being. Rely on you.
3. Your body is a pathetic soft fleshy blob of helplessness especially when you’re driving 80 mph in a glass and steel death trap buffered by protective paint on the road. You can die. Painfully. Many have found this out the hard way. Don’t text, or drink and drive. It only takes a second of stupidity to end it all.
4. The good moments make everything else worth it. That’s why
#28
The World does not revolve around you.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
I've encountered way fewer teenagers with this mindset than I have older people.
#29
You are responsible for everything you do , and you will be held accountable. Enjoy your youth til 16 , because after that the kid gloves come off
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
I was this was true for sooooooo many politicians and the rich & powerful
#30
No life plan survives contact with the real world.
We're all basically just winging it.
What do you think ?
kansasmagic 1 year ago
And is bizarrely excluded from most health insurance! If you get benefits from your job, be sure to ask about dental coverage.
Load More Replies...
Tomato Froggo 1 year ago
When you’re a teenager, a lot of adults just assume you’re “up to no good” and I hate it. I was walking in front of stores after school, and this old couple just SHOVES us out of the way, mumbling about useless kids. Please, we’re trying our best, don’t be too hard on teenagers. I know I have to grow up and get over it, but I hate that I’m “too young” for everything, yet have to act like an adult everywhere.
Groundcontroltomajortom 1 year ago
This post made me realise how ill equipped I myself was in entering "adulthood", whatever the heck that actually means.
kansasmagic 1 year ago
And is bizarrely excluded from most health insurance! If you get benefits from your job, be sure to ask about dental coverage.
Load More Replies... Tomato Froggo 1 year ago
When you’re a teenager, a lot of adults just assume you’re “up to no good” and I hate it. I was walking in front of stores after school, and this old couple just SHOVES us out of the way, mumbling about useless kids. Please, we’re trying our best, don’t be too hard on teenagers. I know I have to grow up and get over it, but I hate that I’m “too young” for everything, yet have to act like an adult everywhere.
Groundcontroltomajortom 1 year ago
This post made me realise how ill equipped I myself was in entering "adulthood", whatever the heck that actually means.
Related on Bored Panda
