Haven’t we all wished at one point in our lives for us to be kids again?
You see, as kids, all we ever had to do was watch TV, play, eat, and avoid siesta. (Much to our regret right now, diba? If only we could time travel!) No paycheck to budget and no bills to worry about – no #adulting at all!
Probably we also miss how decisive we were as kids. I want it, it’s mine. I don’t want it, it’s yours.
Then, we all came to that point when we suddenly didn’t know where we are headed, when life became a series of push-and-pulls, and when the full-of-conviction self turned into a full-of-hesitations one. Hello, teenage life! (Now I’m not sure if everyone has dreamt of going back to his/her teenage years! Haha!)
It’s quite tricky dealing with teens, although I don’t have one yet. Teenage years is the time when an individual is in between childhood and adulthood, so there’s a lot of trial and error, exploring the world, doubting oneself, and figuring things out. I’m sure some mommies are nodding their heads in approval.
Amazingly, some teenagers have paths clearly drawn ahead of them, and are smart enough to recognize it.
Meet Noelle Martinez, my friend Mikaela’s eldest child.
I was thrilled to find out that I have a #NeatProject lined up involving a teenager’s bedroom… but I was even more thrilled to know that the teenager herself requested to have her room cleaned!
Noelle is very decisive for a 14-year-old. This is what I really appreciate about her. When we started sorting her things out, she was the one to announce, “This no longer fit me” or “Mom, can you help me sell those?”
Some of you might say it’s easy for her to let her things go because she didn’t spend anything on those things. Indeed, many were given to her as gifts. Then again, by letting go, she understood that those things will bring joy and purpose to other teenagers like her, so she’d rather sell or give them away than keep them to have a more stuffed or much cuter room.
If everyone can easily decide like that, right?
Admit it, sometimes it’s more difficult for us adults to let go of things because of all the memories we attach on each of them.
This is why it does feel so refreshing to meet someone like Noelle who, in simple ways, demonstrates that she knows what she wants in life. Her decisiveness is like that of a kid’s and an adult’s combined. I don’t mean to say that teenagers don’t have strong decision making skills. I just want to emphasize that Noelle has no problems giving stance on things others struggle with. While others her age are still looking for their place in the world, she is already in a league of her own – selflessly sharing herself, her ideas, and her passion through making videos on studying life hacks and selling her own merchandise to name a few, in her own Youtube Channel, Noelle Knows.
Right now, Noelle is homeschooled and her attitude that goes with it is every parent’s dream: she is responsible enough to figure out her own schedule and to wake up on time as if she is still attending regular school.
Since her home serves as her classroom now, I am very happy to note that she prioritizes cleanliness in the environment that serves two very important purposes in her life.
Noelle really knows (What a very appropriate name for a Youtube Channel, right?) how to get things done… at a very young age of 14.
NEAT OBSESSIONS 