'Where are you getting your dress for prom from?' 'What are you doing for your 16th birthday?' 'What are you asking for for Christmas?' - Just a few of the many questions I hear at school at every week.

I think these questions show that teenagers of today (myself included) feel a lot of pressure to live up to certain standards, and often compete with each other to have 'the best birthday party' or buy 'the perfect prom dress.' I began to wonder, have teenagers always had competition between each other to be…'perfect'? I decided to discuss the issue with my family.

When speaking to my grandparents, they both agreed that when they were young, they didn't feel as though there was much competition between them and their friends. Talking about birthday parties, my grandad said 'everybody did the same thing, a party at your house; tea cooked by mum and party games. We couldn't compete over who had the best party because everyone's party was the same.'

My grandparents also believed there was less competition because they didn't have technology, or expensive items in general, to compete over. Nobody could fight over who had the latest iPhone, or who had the best laptop - the technology just didn't exist. 'I believe this generation is very materialistic, and that's what causes the competition' stated my grandad. He continued by saying, 'when we were teenagers, it was just after the war. Our parents couldn't afford much, and instead of wishing for things we didn't own, we appreciated the things we did.'

Although there was no pressure to keep up with what you owned, both my grandma and grandad agreed that they felt a lot of pressure in school. My grandma said that when taking their 11+ exam there was 'big competition' to do well, in order to get into grammar school.

Speaking to my grandparents made me realise that our generation competes with each other too much - and there's no need for it. We're always trying to have the best things, when in reality we will never own everything we want to own and although we're probably never going to lead the 'perfect' life, we can still lead a happy one. I want to follow what my grandad said - not wish for things I don't own and instead appreciate the things I do.

Emily Oxbury, 15, Thorpe St Andrew School