Firstly, welcome to the site.
I'm sorry to read that you are feeling like this. Life can be frustrating and it is normally those closest to us who make it more so! We can only be the best people we can be and - above all - do just be yourself. If people don't like you that way, damn them. I am nominating this for the weekly contest. (Results published on a Monday afternoon).

Take care

I will tell you something, since you were brave enough to write this and share it, then you know there is something wrong about what they’re telling you. You are strong, believe that!!!

One more thing, I believe this is part of growing up, finding out who you are and what you wnat to be infront of people.

I am happy this is nominated, it is an honest write that should be featured somehow :)

Welcome! I really liked this a lot. We get so many conflicting things thrown at us it is very difficult to determine who we really are. Well done with this and look forward to reading more from you-

Glad to see this nominated.

I think everything you wrote is familiar to many although we have not shared such. Youth is a passageway and no two will lead in the same direction.

Do what you feel is right for you, laugh, love and have fun. One day you will be old and at that time you will laugh, love and have fun. It will just twinge a bit more.

People tell you how to live and behave when you are young. They forget that they too were once young. If they haven't forgotten then they are simply jealous

Craig

People will always find room to criticise. It’s difficult to be yourself when you’re made to feel anxious or condemned for choices you make or feelings you have.

People sometimes criticize because it makes them feel better about themselves to pull someone else down. For some jealousy or just the need to control, ridicule or confuse. Some are genuinely trying to give helpful advice but forget that everyone is different so what works for them might never work for someone else.

No one can tell you who you should be or how you should be or what you should say or do. These are all things that you find out for yourself by trial and error. (personally I am always a little suspicious of people telling me what I should do or say because that's usually a sign of a someone with control issues)

You find out who you are and how you want to live your life by the mistakes and decisions that you make and there is no easy quick fix for that. Criticism and advice comes from someone else's opinion on something that works for them but may never work for you.

For example some people like the taste of oranges but hate the taste of lemons, others like the taste of lemons and not oranges. There is no amount of criticism or advice will change which fruit they like because they like what they like and if they try and fake liking the fruit they don't like just to please someone else they will never be happy. Being true to yourself is finding out who you are and what works for you, what you like and dislike etc.

Trying to be what other people expect of you rarely brings happiness so trust yourself and your own instincts and any mistakes you make are part of the learning curve of life. Believe in yourself because you know yourself better than anyone else. Sending you a warm hug and best wishes Milly x

Judging comment

Just be normal by Indigo Points: 10
It is my pleasure to award this poem my 10 this week, not just because of the content, but because this young lady (a mere 16) is new to the site.
Bearing in mind her young age, she has written a scathing and altogether embarrassing rebuke to adults everywhere here and the damage we can do to the children/teenagers around us. So perhaps us 'grown-ups' should read this, remember how we felt at that age and then, perhaps, have a little more care with our words, because their impact can be profound and often negatively so.
Thank you for posting and a hearty welcome to the site.