Wanting the cookie that's just out of reach

It's interesting how kids find things more interesting when they're too young for them.

I was thinking about the stack of old Seventeen magazines in a drawer in my room. Looking through them at the relationship advice, the articles about teen pregnancy, how to be a good kisser, how to know if he likes you, and "how to drive him crazy," I realized how inane and pointless those magazines are. Does anyone actually need that kind of advice?

I'm 17. By the name, I'm assuming 17-year-olds are their target readers. I feel like I'm so much more mature than that now. However, when I was a curious 11-year-old, I thought that magazine was so cool. I felt more mature because I had it. Sure, I really didn't need to learn what a G-spot was when I was that young, but that was why I thought it was so cool. It was something I wasn't supposed to have.

Same with "Sex and the City." I used to stay up late to watch that show after everyone was asleep with the volume on low and my finger on the channel button, prepared to flip to Disney Channel when I thought I heard footsteps. I wasn't really that interested in it, but I liked that I felt like I shouldn't be watching it. Now, I like it but I feel vacuous for liking it, not cool and rebellious.

Ever notice how shows for kids always feature characters that are older than their target audience? Look at Disney Channel. The main characters are high school kids. They don't act like they're in high school, of course. They have more in common with their target audience of 7-14 year olds than actual high schoolers, but they're made to represent normal 16-year-olds. Once kids actually reach high school, they lose their interest in these shows because they realize that's not what it's like to be 16. They lose their novelty. Once they know what it's really like to be that age, they don't need to watch and imagine it. There's nothing exciting about it anymore, and there's nothing cool about watching kids your own age act like children.

Not that I should talk. I still order chocolate milk in restaurants and I have a Powerpuff Girls blanket on my bed. But I still get a kick out of the forbidden. Everyone is more attracted to the things they don't know anything about and the things they aren't supposed to have.

Love,
Juliana