Marissa Anderson, Marengo, Iowa

I'm starting to worry about grades because everything goes on your permanent record. Your schedule is so out of whack that both you and your parents are getting stressed and

	TIME Cover Story Being Thirteen What's on their minds? TIME takes an inside look at an age of mystery and challenge Thirteens on Thirteen Thirteen-year olds share their reflections Marissa Anderson Ariel DeNeve Jeffrey Dirkin Calvin Streit Haya Rios Jessica Gonzalez Duresny Nemorin Armaan Rowther Rose Buchberg Katherine Rack Joseph Charles Brandon Close Briana Katz

Oh, and the chores! I think every kid my age hates chores: cleaning your room (I mean, it's my room—why can't I just leave it how I like it?), feeding and taking care of pets, and lots more.

Otherwise, being 13 is awesome. You are starting to do everything yourself, go wherever you want, go on dates, go shopping. I love to do all that stuff, and my favorite pastime is taking photographs. I live in a Victorian-style house that my parents built themselves. It's on a 45-acre property in Marengo, Iowa. The house is on top of a big hill, so there are lots of opportunities for interesting pictures. The summer for me is awesome. I get to go to College for Kids—an enrichment program at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, county fair, state fair, go swimming, hang out with my friends and play sports. Everyone who is 13 is looking forward to turning 14, then 16 because they will be able to drive!

I love being 13, but it can be bad. When it is, I just relax and take a deep breath and say, "I'll only be 13 once!"