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Acting Old
"I often find myself amazed at the T.V stations that my friends watch, because I would rather watch Law and Order than BET."
By Khadija Hussein
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Youth Radio’s Khadija Hussein is not your “ordinary” teenager. Most Friday nights, she can be found at home studying for a test. She feels like her peers really don’t understand who she is. Hussein says her Muslim upbringing and father’s high expectations dictate how she behaves.
I often find myself amazed at the T.V stations that my friends watch, because I would rather watch Law and Order than BET. I feel like I cannot connect with them because even though we’re teens, we come from completely different backgrounds and opposite worlds.
My peers call me ‘grandma’ because I don’t act like a crazy teen. The idea of skipping a class never comes to my mind and instead of going to a crazy party on a Friday night, I would instead stay home and study for that test on Monday. At times I feel like my friends would better understand me if they knew my lifestyle at home.
I was raised with a different culture and a different upbringing. I come from Somalia and my best friend is from Iraq. She and I have a lot in common, for instance, we are both Muslims and because of that major fact in our lives, we understand the rules and compromises of such a lifestyle. I feel like I am the most proper teen I know, but my father pressures me to act like an impeccably brought up young lady. I don’t have the right to be confused and make mistakes to learn from, because nothing but perfection is expected from me.
Sometimes I wish I could act like a normal teen but as long as I live under my father's roof, normal teenage life won't ever be anything but a dream.
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