I dislike adults who expect teenagers to accommodate their adult feelings. I’m not saying that teens should not show respect to the adults in their lives. I’m more annoyed when adults expect teenagers to act and behave like adults and get offended when they don’t. When I was in middle school, my theater teacher got angry because I was crying and told me I was acting really unprofessional. I would hope that a 14-year-old in Seussical The Musical wouldn’t have the maturity or professionalism of a grown-up, but he saw things differently. 

When someone hurts my feelings, I make sure to figure out whether the person was at fault or if I’m the one who needs to work through the issue by myself. Ninety percent of the time, the issues come from within, so it’s silly to act as if someone is at fault for making a benign comment that offended you.