50 Secrets Your Teenager Will Never Tell You

"I memorize the phone numbers of friends whom my parents do not approve of so that their names don’t blink on my mobile phone."

Our interviews reveal they have much to hide and to share

By Aditya Sharma

Between being kids and adults, the teenage mind can be a maze of intense emotions. Parents seldom understand the dilemmas, adventures, fears and angst that go with this phase of life, although they too were teenagers not long ago. Teenagers have much to share—if only grown-ups listened. And much to hide so easily (if only grown-ups were not so blind). In an attempt to understand them better, Reader’s Digest asked several teenagers living in different parts of the country, directly and via Facebook, to share some of their closely guarded secrets with us (since they are secrets, a few of them didn’t want to be named).

Nothing Like a Friend>> I sometimes fight with my friends, but there’s mutual understanding that we won’t let our parents know. And, usually, we sort out the differences ourselves.      
Name withheld, male 14, Pune

>> Some of us get stuck with friends from whom we learn to smoke, drink, splurge, and other vices. For a while, I got entangled with a group of boys and became addicted to video games.

Name withheld, male 14, Coonoor

>> When I want to attend a party or watch a film, I invent a story, like I am going to study at a friend’s place.
Purva, 14, Indore

>> Last year one of my classmates was moving to another city. On his last day at school, I gave him `100 so that he could buy himself a present. It was the money my mother gave me to buy a sweater.          
Name withheld, male 14, Pune

Sweet Deception
>> When I want to skip school, I’ve switched off my alarm clock and then blamed it for not ringing.
Purva, 14, Indore

>> I drive Dad’s motorbike without his approval. I’ve had a minor accident and the bike got damaged, but I said I found it lying like that in a parking lot.
Anupam, 15, Bhopal

>> Once, while playing football with my brother, I broke a flowerpot. Both of us threw the broken pieces into a vacant, adjacent plot without my parents knowing.            
Dhruv, 18, Jaipur

>> Basically, teenagers hide almost everything from their parents. How much they get out of their teenager will depend on the parents.
Anubind Tiwari, on RD Facebook

>> I try to avoid bathing during the winter. I just go into the bathroom, wet my feet, face and hair, spray some deodorant and exclaim how cold the water was!   
Anupam, 15, Bhopal

We All Have Work to Do
>> There’s so much pressure on us to become engineers or doctors. I want to become an airhostess, but find it tough to discuss it with my parents.
Purva, 14, Indore

>> Homework is often a team effort. We divide homework between friends so it becomes easier to finish it on time. At times, I also convince one of the studious fellows of our class to part with his homework and I then copy it.            
Dhruv, 18, Jaipur

>> Preparing for engineering entrance exams, I often think about taking  private tuitions from a prominent local tutor, but since his fees are too high, I feel bad about telling my parents about him.    
Anupam, 15, Bhopal

Money is Scarce
>> Some of my friends have taken up part-time jobs to meet their expenses, but they don’t tell their parents about it so that their pocket money is not reduced.        
Name withheld, male 14, Pune

>> Sometimes when my parents give me money to buy groceries or other stuff, I report jacked up prices to pocket the extra bucks.
Rohan, 15, Bhopal

>> I take the bus fare from my parents, but I often walk from school to save the money and buy snacks.
Saijeet, 17, Panjim

>> Buying a new mobile phone without telling them that I’m selling my old one!      
Kshitiz Harit, on RD Facebook

All in a SIN card
>> I memorize the phone numbers of friends whom my parents do not approve of so that their names don’t blink on my mobile phone.
Dhruv, 18, Jaipur

>> I carefully delete some messages and the history of some calls from my mobile so that I don’t have to answer awkward questions from my parents.
Vaibhav, 17, Delhi

>> We often watch porn films at our friends’ places or flip through adult magazines when their parents are not home. A lot of porn is also available on the Internet and some of my friends download short clips onto their mobiles.
Name withheld, male 14, Coonoor

>> When my teacher confiscated my mobile after I was caught using it at school, I told my parents that I gave it for repairs.
Name withheld, male 15, Bhopal