The difference between a Teen and a Young Kid

Nigel being crushed by Amber and Shannon
As of 2 weeks ago, we have an official teenager in the house. The last time we had one at home was over 25 years ago - so it has been some time coming. Also, as I recall, that teenager was quite well behaved.

Based on my last fortnight of of experience, I've noticed several differences between a Teenager and a Young Kid (YK). Note that these are purely based on observations and has not been put through any rigorous scientific studies.
  1. You can hear what a YK is saying. Teenage boys have voices that are cracking/cracked and as such, have little clue how to use them properly. Sometimes when you call them on the phone and they pick up, there is barely any "Hello" on the other end, so you'll hang up thinking the connection was bad.
  2. They are very slow in everything they do. Do you remember when your YK used to run around everywhere they went? Life was an endless stream of possibilities and the only way to get everything done was to sprint. It didn't matter if it was to the theme park or the toilet, running was the only way to get there - and they would insist on dragging you along. A Teen, on the other hand, strolls around like the whole world has to wait for them. I think they are just growing and most of the energy in their bodies is focused on generating new cells.
  3. The answer to everything is Whatsapp. A YK seems to be more in-tune with what is going on around them - which is ironic because they are supposed to be young and confused. Then again, this could be a boy vs girl conversation. The answer to any question you ask our Teen (e.g. do you have homework, is there training tomorrow) is "let me message my friends". I'm going to try asking him later if he needs to use the bathroom. The funny thing is his friends are Teens also, but they seem to be more knowledgeable. This one could be more specific to our son.
There are obviously many more skills that a Teen lacks which causes frustration - for example their lack of time-management, inability to prioritise, inconsistent social skills, bad sitting posture. I think the main inconsistency is due to the fact that our Teen has grown to almost his full height potential, which makes him look mature - whereas his mental development has yet to catchup, which causes him to act more as a YK.

Well either way, we certainly don't want anyone growing up too fast too. Life's too short to rush through that.