Beware: Spoilers Ahead!
Tom Holland is everywhere at the box office this summer; from playing a son longing for the return of the father he never knew in Nolan’s “The Odyssey” to swinging back on screen as Peter Parker in the latest instalment of the Spider-Man franchise. With both movies breaking box office records, teenagers have been flooding into their local movie theatres to catch a showing – but many of them might be learning a few unexpected lessons.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is Peter Parker’s coming of age. Most of the plot revolves around him struggling with seeing his old friends move on without him, while he’s living alone and dealing with more pressure than ever before. This scenario is a familiar one for teenagers, whether they’re going to a new school, moving into a different neighborhood, or getting ready for college.
Whether you’ve already been to see Spider-Man (maybe even multiple times!) or you’re looking for spoilers, these are the lessons that parents and teenagers can learn from Peter Parker.
Table of Content
- The Reality of Peter Parker’s “Brand New Day”
- Everyone’s Lives Move At Different Paces
- Social Media Can Make “Moving On” Harder
- Even Spider-Man Needs Someone To Help Him Figure Things Out
- A “Brand New Day” Doesn’t Mean You Have To Figure Everything Out
Summary
- Spider Man: Brand New Day sees Peter Parker deal with watching his old friends living new lives, causing him to feel like he’s “stuck”.
- Many teenagers often struggle to move on from old chapters of their lives with social media making it harder to cut contact from old friends.
- Life coaching creates a safe space for navigating the challenges of starting a new chapter in life, from going to a new school to moving cities or starting college.
The Reality of Peter Parker’s “Brand New Day”
The latest Spider-Man movie picks up four years after the events of “No Way Home”, with Peter Parker starting the next chapter of his life living alone. Ned and MJ have gone to MIT, and it feels like they’ve built lives that no longer include him. We see Peter scrolling through Ned’s social media and watching his friends’ new lives from the outside.
Peter Parker experiences something everyone – including teenagers – is familiar with. The feeling of loneliness and missing a version of your life that no longer exists. You might be missing your childhood best friend, feel weird about graduating, or be realizing that your friend group has changed. You could be jealous of friends who seem happier without you, or you might be getting nervous about moving away to college.
Change isn’t easy – even if you’re a superhero like Spider-Man. These feelings are normal, and dealing with change can often feel like you’re grieving something, even if it’s a positive change in your life.
Everyone’s Lives Move At Different Paces
Peter Parker finds himself in a situation that most teenagers can relate to. He thinks he’s “stuck”, left behind while his friends move on in their lives. As a teenager, there are plenty of milestones that you have to navigate – dating, getting a job, applying for college, getting good grades, and learning how to drive.
It’s easy to feel like you’re “behind” in life, even as a teenager. There’s no universal timeline for when you should do something, and there’s no expiry date for doing something for the first time. Everyone’s lives are different, and as a teen life coach, I’m always asking my clients to think about what they actually want and what matters to them.
For some teenagers, it’s not important to learn how to drive, or college might not be their immediate priority. Progress looks different to everyone, and no one is ever really “stuck”.
Social Media Can Make “Moving On” Harder
How often do you find yourself looking at the Instagram profiles of old friends? Maybe you find yourself constantly checking their Snapchat stories or clicking on their TikTok profile? Sometimes you can’t even avoid their posts. Social media shows us the daily lives of people we’ve not seen for years – and that can make moving on even harder.
You no longer “lose contact” with people. Instead, they’re popping up on your TikTok feed, or you see them being tagged in someone’s Instagram posts. You’re no longer in their lives, but you’re constantly being reminded of them.
If you start to feel anxious, jealous, or sad after seeing these social media posts, it’s a sign to start thinking about pulling back online. You don’t need to delete social media, but it can be helpful to mute accounts or be more mindful when scrolling.
Even Spider-Man Needs Someone To Help Him Figure Things Out
Superheroes think they can do everything themselves, and Spider-Man is no exception, but even he needs a helping hand sometimes. Throughout the course of “Brand New Day”, we see Peter Parker turning to Bruce Banner (the human form of The Hulk) for advice.
This relationship is important as it shows that asking for help isn’t a sign that you’re failing or falling behind. Asking for help might feel difficult, whether you think you can figure it out yourself or that your parents won’t understand, but it’s the first step to making positive change.
Coaching offers a space for teenagers to talk through their problems without having to immediately come up with answers or solutions. A life coach is someone that teens can turn to help them navigate their identity and relationships by developing logical reasoning and a stronger sense of their self-identity.
A “Brand New Day” Doesn’t Mean You Have To Figure Everything Out
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shows that you don’t magically wake up one day in the next chapter of your life. It’s normal to miss people and to take time to figure out what happens next. No one becomes a new person overnight, and this is all a part of growing up.
Teenagers experience several new chapters in quick succession, from starting high school to going to college and getting their first job, maybe even moving to a new city or living alone for the first time. These new chapters can raise questions about who they are and how the chapters of their lives fit together.
If you’re a teen or a parent of a teen struggling with major transitions, changing friendships, or confidence issues, a life coach can offer a dedicated space to work through these issues. Book a free consultation and learn how teen life coaching can help you implement the lessons of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
