It's something of a stereotype, but the average teen tends to be a bit on the self-absorbed side. Even the ones who aren't all that self-absorbed. Adolescence is simply a time when human beings are completely wrapped up in their own personal dramas -- and never so much than at the prom, an entire event devoted completely to angst and formalwear. That's why I'm seriously impressed by what a bunch of Florida teens on their way to the prom did when the van traveling in front of their limo started swerving, hit the guardrail, and flipped over on its side.

Despite being given just days to live, Marie Sowler has a lot to be happy about right now. Diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia, the 19-year-old's father and sister pitched in with a double bone marrow transplant that failed to work. Her last last wish? To meet Kellin Quinn, the lead singer for an indie band by the name of Sleeping With Sirens. Marie made a YouTube video revealing her big wish last Thursday. Thousands of shares, likes, and tweets got her message seen by the singer, who tweeted at her at 7:59 p.m. -- "How can we make this happen?"

And so just like that, the two set up a Skype meeting. Seriously, talk about the power of social media, eh? In a world where technology can often be a parent's biggest nemesis, it's got to be pretty cool for Marie's parents to see something so magical happen for their daughter.

Watch Marie's plea, here:

Ever heard of Jeff Bliss? Mark his name down, stat! The long-haired teen caught giving a lazy teacher a tongue-lashing in the latest video to go viral could end up changing the world some day. Or at least turning the education system on its ear.

Teachers who are just in it for the paycheck are the lament of parents everywhere. But how often does anyone stand up and do something about them? Jeff Bliss just did. He stood up in his world history class at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas and gave his educator what-for for not engaging her students. Just watch:

They say there's an exception to every rule, and that's what Kansas high school junior Courtney Widener's special prom date request should have been considered by school officials. But it wasn't -- at least, not at first. Courtney wanted to bring her 22-year-old brother, Senior Airman Casey Widener, to the prom, and I don't blame her: She'd only seen Casey once since he got back from his deployment in Afghanistan. Of course she wanted a night on the town with her big bro! But she was told that bringing her brother was against the school district's rule prohibiting anyone over the age of 21 from participating in prom activities. Courtney was devastated ... until Casey came up with a way to escort his sister without getting her in trouble.

Remember your prom proposal? When a guy scuffled up to you in the hallway after class and mumbled something that sounded like, "So prom. Would ya?" And that was considered romantic?

I admit I'm almost wistful for those days. Back when kids were just kids. Before kids started shooting TV commercials, dressing up like Pokemon characters, and making life-sized snow sculptures to convince their crush to attend the big dance.

Or maybe I'm just jealous that both of my prom proposals were so tame they're pretty much unmemorable (hey, at least I remember their names!). Either way, it has to be said that asking someone to prom has gotten wildl. Just check out what kids are doing these days:

There is no doubt that teenagers tend to get a bad rap. Between the bullying and the weird YouTube videos and the drug use and the sassiness, most parents of children dread the day our precious babies turn 13. But there are some teens who make us realize things aren't really as bad as they might seem.

Maddie is a senior in high school, and in a story that is floating around Facebook this week, it's revealed that she went to the parents of Jon, a junior, and asked them if she could take their son to prom. She chose this way because Jon is autistic. “He’s a junior,” she explained to Jon's mom. “So it’s his prom too. I just think he should have the chance to go.”

Cue the tears. Apparently the two met through a group that pairs teens with special needs with kids like Maddie and she took a special liking to Jon. What a moving story.

Tragically, many of the injured in the Boston Marathon bombings went to the marathon healthy and able-bodied, and left disabled, often without limbs. I can't imagine what it's like to be walking, running, or standing on a beautiful, clear spring day one minute, and the next, your entire life has changed as you realize you may never be able to do the job you wanted, or live the way you wanted, and will most likely now be more dependent than you ever planned. But 13-year-old Michael Stolzenberg knows better than most what the new amputees will go through. Because he lost all of his limbs when he was 8 years old.

Jack Carroll is being called a comedic genius. His self-deprecating humor is refreshing, honest, and hilarious, and for a 14-year-old, that's pretty impressive. Jack was on Britain's Got Talent and blew the judges away ... even Simon Cowell was smiling and gave him a pass to the next round. And if Simon is laughing, you know the kid's funny.