Dear 16-year-old me,
I bet you figure you will have all the answers by the time you are my age. Think again. You are just as clueless at 29 as you were at 21 and as you are at 16. In fact, I’m beginning to think you’ll never have the answers. The difference is that I accept that fact. However, there are some tidbits of advice I can give you- not that you’ll listen.
- Save your money. That purse is going to go out style, but that debt lasts a lifetime (or at least it will feel that way).
- Try to go a little easier on your mom. She is trying and whether you believe it or not, you’ll be very close in only a couple of years.
- Some friends aren’t meant to be in your life forever. Accept them for what they mean to you at the time.
- Some friends are meant to be in your life forever. Be good to them. You’ll need them.
- You’re a strong person. Don’t doubt that.
- It’s okay to say no if someone proposes to you. In fact, I strongly encourage it. It won’t work out. Just trust me on this one.
- That metabolism won’t last forever. Try to get into a habit of running now or I doubt it will ever become something you enjoy.
- For goodness sake, lay off the Sun In!
Love,
Your older and not quite wiser self
Just wanted to say, I am grateful for all of you reading my posts. It’s been two weeks since I started writing this thing and I woke up this morning to a total of over 1,000 page views and 200 followers on Twitter. Now I know that is all in an hour’s work for a lot of blogs out there, but this newbie is definitely feeling the love- real or imagined. So thank you!
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Hi, I'm Kate. I'm fairly new to this whole blogging thing, but loving it already. Please reach out with any questions!
Another Clean Slate 
Oh, god, the Sun-In! The reason why my hair was the color of OJ in my seventh grade class picture… Be sure to tell your little self that it’s a gateway drug.
Between the Sun In and the perm, I looked like a deranged poodle. Glad I wasn’t the only one!
Use more sunscreen.
That’s another good piece of advice- one I still need to take!
I love it! I have so much advice and warnings to offer my younger self now. I try to pass them along to my son who also doesn’t listen any better than any of us did!I swear I see the light at the end of the tunnel but I think I’m starting to realize that there is no end of the tunnel 🙂
Only a few more months before he graduates 😉 THEN you might see some light!
I like your optimism and am trying to embrace that same train of thought. However…….you know that it’s never a dull moment in the life of Garrett’s mom 🙂
Love this post! So true, especially the advice on money and treating your mom right. I gave my mother hell when I was a teenager. Had to grow up to learn how to appreciate her. Congrats on the success of the blog!
Thanks! Success to me any ways 🙂
I remember Sun In! HA HA! What no pictures? I was the only one brave enough to show off my GIANT Bon Jovi hair! Thanks for sharing. 😀
There may be a photo update later. I put my sister on a mission to dig one out and send it along!
Oh good-I was really feeling alone in the shame department.
I think we should regularly write letters to our younger or older selves- makes us look at our own life with a little clearer perspective.
It definitely was an interesting exercise. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh gosh, sun in lol!!! Thank you so much for stopping by the bloghop!
walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com
I didn’t get any less clueless until way past 29! Great letter, and congrats on your blog’s success!
Thanks 🙂
I agree with the money part! Do they still sell sun in?? I was obsessed with in in my teens.
Just did a quick search… you can buy it on Amazon! I hope they perfected their formula to avoid the orange effect.
Oh that’s funny! Sun In + hard water will give you a /really/ nice red-orange Cheetah print hair style.. Its awesome ( or atleast it was in ’02)
Great words of wisdom! Love the friends one…I have a couple of those 20-30+ years friends. Its pretty cool that they’re still in my life!
I don’t know what I would do without them!
Ditto! Nothing like getting divorced to make you realize just how wonderful your friends are.
Congratulations on your new success! From another new blogger, isn’t it a great feeling when you realize that you’re starting to belong to a community that is appreciating your writing?
Yes! It has been so much fun!
Congrats!
The 16-year-old me had ZERO confidence in my appearance. I dressed in huge clothes. I liked boys who were total losers. UGH. I feel sad for the 16-year-old me… how exhausting to walk around thinking how ugly I was.
We are always hardest on ourselves- especially at 16!
I would have told myself the same things! Especially about the friends that won’t be in your life forever and the metabolism! OH the metabolism!
This was awesome. The friends part is probably the best though. If only I would have know that then..
p.s. I added your button to my sidebar!
Fricking Sun-In! I forgot about that. I wonder if people still use that, or if they just fry their hair the old fashioned way, with lemon juice.
This is some good advice. You know you wouldn’t have taken any of this advice at 16…at least I wouldn’t have. 🙂
I definitely would not have taken it! I checked and Sun In is still out there… Crazy!
I just had a run-in with number 3. It’s hard to let people go, but sometimes you realize they bring more negative than positive into your life, and there’s no reason to hold onto that.
So true! I’m sorry you’re dealing with that right now but hopefully it is ultimately for the best.
Cute post! Saving money is one I wish now that I had thrown into mine. It’s always a good idea. Even if you don’t realize that until you’re almost 30 and broke…
Also: Jealous! The most hits I’ve had was almost 400 in one day. You go girl!
Ha- that was 2,000 total! In two weeks 🙂 I might need to reword.
Meanwhile 30 on Monday… and broke- argh.
This is a great letter, and great advice.
Congrats on your exciting numbers! Good work.
Thanks Tracie 🙂
That’s very sound advice for your 16 year old self but knowing how know-it-alls teenagers are, she probably won’t listen. 😀
I got excited when I saw this post coz I made one like this before. I made my friends write theirs too and poste them in below link. My letter is the second to the last one.
http://deecoded.blogspot.sg/2010/05/letters-for-our-16-year-old-selves.html
Going to check it out now!