Student column: Freedom comes with a cost

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From the age of 2 through the age of 18, we reach for more independence. Whether that means learning to walk on our own, or to going off to college to live on our own, independence is what we seek.

However, independence is not something to be taken lightly; it can either help you or hurt you. It all depends on what you do with it.

First off, let me tell you what my definition of independence is. Independence in my book is freedom to do what you please. This could be anything from deciding what you want to make yourself for dinner to what you want to do while your parents are out of town. But, no matter the form of independence, it always brings more responsibility. For example, if you are given a car for your 16th birthday you will probably need to pay for gas. Gas costs money, so that means you will probably need to find yourself a job. Car = Gas = Money = Job.

There are many positives to new found independence; for one it allows you to do so much more. Something new that I am recently experiencing is having friends that can drive. I absolutely love not having to wait around for a parent to give me a ride anymore. This not only makes it easier on parents, but it opens up a wide variety of new things that you and your friends can do.

For instance, when else could you literally just go park hopping? No parents would come and pick you up every 15 minutes to go to a different park; or none that I know, at least. Getting granted more independence also shows you that your parents/elder can trust you enough to give you more freedom. That isn’t always the easiest thing to do and you should be proud of yourself for earning that. It’s not easy for any parent to see their little kid grow up.

More independence also brings more responsibility. Not everybody can handle that, and it can lead to poor choices and bad judgments.

I feel kind of bad for those people. I can’t imagine how bad the stress must be to turn towards things like drugs and alcohol like people do.

The majority of people take the new responsibility on without a problem, though, and they seem to have so much more fun with the independence that they treasure it, so they do whatever it takes to not lose it.

Independence is no little thing, and it should not be taken lightly. Use to it your advantage and it’s a great thing, but use it too far and it will bite you in the butt one day.

Marissa Opp is a student at Farmington High School. Her column appears every other week.

Tags: high school, opinion, farmington, commentary