английский / Миральда Ивановна / 9. Young people who are they

It's common knowledge that at the age of 18 young people take on most of the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. But until adolescent years come, the teenager lives through a very important character-building period. During this time youngsters rapidly grow out of their last year's clothes become more intellectual, better educated and better socially in­formed. They want to be more independent, they try to keep to their own val­ues which are not always the same as those held by their parents and older people. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. They admit that the old know a lot for the simple reason that they have been around in this world a bit longer. The young often doubt that the older generation has created the best of possible worlds. They question then- values and grown-ups often lose contact with teenagers. Traditionally, the young have turned to the older people for guidance. Today, adults - if they are prepared to admit it - could learn a thing or two from their children. At the same time teenagers are definitely influenced by the values and moral re­quirements which they learn at home, at school as well as from their social surrounding, including mass media.