Dear 16-year-old-me

There is a viral video going around right now called "Dear 16-year-old-me" as part of the campaign for skin cancer prevention and awareness. It's an intense and emotional video, and well worth watching, but it got me thinking. What if I could go back and give my 16-year-old self some advice? Would I do it? I've always maintained that if I ever had the chance to go back and change my mistakes, I wouldn't do it, because without my missteps and wrong turns and detours I wouldn't be where I am today. And today is good...great even. But I think I might have a few suggestions for my teenage self. And I thought I would share them here, because someday my 16-year-old daughter might need a little advice too:)

Dear 16-year-old-me,

* That boy who cheats on you and breaks your heart? It turns out that he really isn't worth it. Don't spend the next 5 years throwing yourself away trying to prove that you are special. It will not improve your self esteem.

* Drive more carefully. Much, much more carefully. Your wallet will thank you if you can avoid the accidents and speeding tickets!

* When someone introduces you to the "screwdriver," don't overdo it. If you do it will ruin orange juice for you forever, and that is a sad thing!

* Your little brother is not your responsibility, but he is your family. He needs you and he won't be able to admit it. Make more time for him, be his friend, reach out to him even if he insists he is ok. He isn't. And someday you will wish you had taken better care of him...

* Don't major in Advertising in college just because Journalism seems too intimidating. You are a writer, so follow your passion even if it means subjecting yourself to criticism and possible failure. You'll never know unless you try.

* Don't stop singing in college. Try out for a chorus or an acapella choir or something. You might not be the best alto in the world, but singing makes you happy--don't give it up because you are afraid.

* Don't spend so much time with your college boyfriend that you lose touch with your best girlfriend. It will be something that you will regret for the rest of your life, because you will learn the hard way that people like her are special and should be treasured, and you will always need a good girlfriend in your life.

* Holding grudges is a terrible character flaw. Learn early how to forgive and move on, it will save you a year of anger and hurt later in life...

* If, at some point, you find yourself with 100 cases of chocolate bars in your living room that are free samples for your job, do not spend night after night eating them. It is true what they say about chocolate: a moment on your lips, a lifetime on your hips. Your body will thank you if you can resist them.

* Take really good care of yourself when you are pregnant. Do not ever start drinking sweet tea, it will add 20 extra pounds to your pregnancy weight gain.

* Floss your teeth. A lot. Just trust me on this one...


I have so many more things I could say to the 16-year-old-me...but then again, if I did, I might not have learned the lessons I know now. I could tell her to never open that credit card in college just to get that free leather binder, but then I wouldn't know how it feels to buy a bunch of things I can't afford and slowly take years to pay them off, lol. I could tell her to think long and hard about getting those 2 cats in college, because cats live a looong time...but those cats love me, and they need me, and I couldn't imagine them with any other owner. I could tell her so many things, but the truth is that I owe it to myself to own up to my own mistakes. They make me who I am today, they are a part of my history. I hope that when my children are teenagers, I have enough faith to let them make some of their own mistakes, but also to protect them from what I can. Luckily for me, that's a long time off!

P.S. Seriously, do take a moment to watch the video link I posted, and make sure to always wear sunscreen to protect your skin. I'll admit, the 16-year-old-me didn't wear a lot of sunscreen either. And it's definitely something I would go back to tell her to do!