Ephebiphobia.

This essay, from December 2003, fall semester of my senior year of high school, was written as a submission for our annual literary magazine. I have no memory as to whether it was published, but I find it amusing. Almost 24, I have yet to realise my teenage fears, and I still love working with teenagers.

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Are YOU an ephebiphobiac??

I found my current favorite word a few years ago in a friend’s high school yearbook. It was contained it a list of phobias, some common and some not so common. This word fits into the latter category; I had never heard of it before and never have since. The word is ephebiphobia. It is defined as “a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of teenagers.” At first, the word, along with its definition, struck me as funny. I wondered what kind of person would admit to being an ephebiphobiac.

As I thought about it more, and as I grew up and experienced more of life, I started to realize that the vast majority of the adult population either suffers from ephebiphobia, or else just acts as if they do. For many adults, teenagers seem to be representatives from another planet, a planet thought to lack intelligent life forms. True, some teenagers live up to this label, but not all of us do. Also true, not all adults suffer from this common and widely ignored disease, but the theory that teenagers should be avoided and ignored seems to be overtaking many adult minds.

Why then, is this my favorite word? Ephebiphobia--I see it as a challenge to myself. Someday, I will belong to that group of people that the world classifies as adults, but hopefully, I will not catch this strange and deadly disease. My goal is to one day work with kids and teenagers; for some reason, I think becoming an ephebiphobiac would hinder those plans slightly. Maybe when I grow up, I will understand, but until then, I will always wonder how anyone could have an extreme fear and dislike of my generation.