Just to be Considered

Sometimes I feel like the adult world ignores children. They'd rather push the ideas and opinions of young people aside, while they make important decisions that will directly affect our futures. It seems somewhat logical that officials should be adults. After all, children's brains are constantly in a state of development, so why should they be entrusted with power. This concept is reasonable to a certain extent, but it becomes unfair and dangerous when it is applied too heavily. Lately I've been put into a bad environment, one where someone smokes marijuana in a room next to me while I breathe in secondhand smoke. One where an adult who had never cared about me is put in charge of me, refusing to supply me and my sister with our basic needs. An environment where strangers come in and out throughout the day and night, while the adult doesn't give a second thought to letting them in because they are "friends", yet he always has to ask for their names because he doesn’t know who they are. I've complained about this, desperate for help, but authorities don't want to hear my voice. Despite the experiences I've shared to the authorities, they didn't want to acknowledge my words, and decided to give this adult my custody. Adults do this far too often. They get too prideful of their own power, so much so that they look down on children and deem them inferior, denouncing their opinions while they make decisions that effect these children. Children are still people, and their thoughts and opinions deserve to be heard if not carefully considered. If not, adults will keep on making decisions that negatively affect these young people, impacting their futures heavily. The duty of an adult is to guide children in what is right, not to dictate their futures without any consideration of their opinions. I'm not implying that children should be able to single handedly make their own decisions, I'm saying that adults need to realize that children are a diverse group of people, and just because a child is conveying a message that seems more mature or more complex than that of other children, doesn't mean that message isn't theirs nevertheless. It's appalling that some adults think that complex observations and thoughts can only come from adults. All I want is to have stability in my life and a healthy environment where I can thrive and grow to be an honest and functional member of society.