I also know that sometimes you have to touch the fire to know it burns. Even if Current Me told Teenage Me these things, Teenage Me would give Current Me the finger and keep on doing what she was doing. That being said, if I was going to tell my teenage self some things, these would be those things.
- Keep that Polaroid camera you got when you were 11. You’ll really want it when you’re 36 and it will cost eleventy billion dollars which you will have a hard time justifying.
- Remember: people who talk shit are simply shit talkers.
- Spend as much time as you can with your grandparents. Talk to them about what it was like when they were young. Soak up the time you have with them.
- Savor every second of not working, having bills, or being responsible for anything.
- All things end: good and bad. Appreciate what you have when you have it and hang in there when you don’t.
- Whatever qualifies as a huge deal now will not even be on your radar in 10 years. It’s not worth the angst or the stress.
- Record every single episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Never get rid of your VCR.
- In regards to college: don’t eat and drink whatever you want, study abroad
- In regards to college: Go to a state college. You’ll save a ton of money. Better yet, go to a community college for a year or two, then a state college.
- These are not the best years of your life as some people will tell you – but if you make it a goal to have the best time of your life every year, then you’ll always technically be in the best time of your life.
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Haikuesday
Advice. I have some.
Teenagers say "no thanks" though
Bastards would take cash.
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Speaking of teenage selves, happy happy birthday to one of my favorite friends since we were teenagers friends - Frank!
What would you tell your teenage self?
What would you tell your teenage self?
Linking up with Jana, and you should too!
Those are very good notes to give yourself! I could probably have used a few of those!
ReplyDeleteThat is all excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteVery good advice. I still have my VCR. :) Staying local for college and saving money is one I should have listened too but had a blast too being away. Enjoying not working and having summers off were the best, wish I enjoyed it more too. Take more vacations, they get expensive as you are older.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Our teenage selves would give us the finger should we give them advice. Cannot agree more with the statement to go to state or community college. What a crime how much education costs. Angst...so much of it and so much of it useless. Great post.
ReplyDelete#5 and #6!!! I was so angsty and now it's hard to remember what it was even about. And I did the community college/state college thing (for graphic design), and I think I was more prepared for the working world than my friends who took art at UD.
ReplyDeleteBut I would tell myself "You're going to end up in design anyway, so go ahead and skip the several years of trying to be an engineer. You know it's not what you want to do." And maybe also "Open mindedness has its limits. Try to use some common sense." But I'd definitely get the finger for that 2nd one. :P
yes to all of these. i also had a polaroid that i tossed and when i think back to it, i get so mad because hello, polaroids are awesome!
ReplyDelete-kathy
Vodka and Soda
Study abroad is solid advice and not doing so is the only regret I have from college. Never get rid of your VCR is also excellent advice. Love the rest, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up!
Haha yes to all of this! Especially spending time with the grandparents and taping 90210! I still have a dvd/vcr combo and am never getting rid of it!
ReplyDeleteI love #10!!
ReplyDeleteThese are always so fun to read. Seriously how funny is it that Polaroids cost a lot now?! When you're younger, doesn't everything seem like such a huge deal?
ReplyDeleteTeenage me would need a lesson in having more fun and not taking things so seriously. Also, the thing about the bad times having to end - so spot on, especially in high school.
ReplyDeleteNumber 10 sums up everything anyone needs to know about life. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteOoh. I love what you would tell the TEENAGE YOU. Especially the polaroid and 90210 episodes. I really need to get on HULU and see if I can watch some of my OLD FAVORITES! I'm a nostalgic TV junkie.
ReplyDeleteWhat would I tell me?
You won't feel this way forever... keep pushing.. It gets worse but, oh man, does it get better after that.
I think it's hard for teens to realize there is life beyond! Beyond.
Deleteto every single point i was like oh my god yes, no this one, no this one is true. they are all true (ok except for 90210, dont shoot me, wasnt a fan lol). shit talkers absolutely are just shit talkers, and the huge deal / not even on the radar is so unbelievably true. i guess if we werent all idiots as teenagers (said lovingly) we wouldnt be the smart ladies we are now... i hope.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post again. Hindsight is everything, but things go the way they are supposed to. Amen on the college.
ReplyDeleteI think I may still have my polaroid camera. Loved them!!!
Every time in our lives can be the best times, the more best times we have, the more wonderful our time here on this planet. I love the age I am right now. Live, learn, and be happy!
I need to hone my haiku-ing. I love them, but need to get better at them
Love your MOMMA
11. Stop wondering what it's like to be a grown-up.
ReplyDelete12. Travel anywhere and everywhere you can.
Great post... might have to steal the idea!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with traveling abroad- best college decision ever. Definitely should have gone to a state college. Even though I met a lot of awesome people at the college I did choose, paying back student loans sucks balls, and I will be doing so for a very long time. #10 is perfection- that might be my new motto!
ReplyDeleteI'd tell my teenage self that teenage boys are stupid and the fact that they're ignoring me is a good thing
ReplyDeleteI'd also tell my teenage self that my parents weren't as dumb as i thought they were
and to savor every moment of no responsibility!
Ooops... almost forgot!
ReplyDeleteI was a real bitch
terrorized my family
(they still hold a grudge)
Oh to not have bills again!! That would be pretty fantastic! #3 is so true...I wish I would have done that more.
ReplyDeleteSeriously to #6! I try to tell younger people I know that it's not the end all be all of your life don't worry there is a lot more.
ReplyDeletenever get rid of the VCR- that is a really good one. there are still tapes i have but can no longer watch. i love this whole list!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely tell my teenage self not to worry about anything or anybody in High School because you will never see them again lol
ReplyDeleteThis is some pretty solid advice. VCR's and Polaroid cameras are a hard commodity to come by these days, who knew?! I really wish I would have asked my grandma more about her past when I was younger. I know she told me a few stories, and I cherish the memories I have from them but need so much more that I will never hear. I thought my dad knew...but he doesn't. Lame.
ReplyDeleteIf only we would have listened to our parents when they told us what we thought was a big deal then was really nothing, right?!?!
LOOOVE # 10!
ReplyDeleteI had my old VCR up until 2007... then I trashed it. However now I see all my fave disney movies on VHS at the thrift store and I want to buy them all!
Hahah the Beverly Hill 90210 one - so great! I still have a TV with a built in VCR and I refuse to get rid of it lol
ReplyDeleteThis:
ReplyDeleteRecord every single episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Never get rid of your VCR.
<3
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Also, yeah, Polaroids for the win!
#10. I wish I would have included that in mine!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a Polaroid camera but I don't know where to get film, I've got maybe 3 pictures left on the film cartridge that's in it and then it's done.
ReplyDeleteI miss 90210, I would binge watch that with out complaint!
I can relate to most of these! Oh to be young and have no bills again!
ReplyDeleteI swear, as teenagers we cannot figure out what real life looks like.
ReplyDelete"YOU ARE NOT FAT...that is called CURVES and you should embrace them" yells the me today and the me 10 years ago, whose body I would now KILL for .
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANK! :D
ReplyDelete"All things end: good and bad. Appreciate what you have when you have it and hang in there when you don’t." This is the best... my favorite piece of advice by far. I'm going to give it to 29-year-old Amanda. Never too old to tell yourself good shit like that. :)
Also, good call on the VCR. So many years of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are sitting unwatchable in my mom's storage shed b/c we got rid of ours. :( haha
I'm of the same mindset - I don't believe in regretting things or making different choices, but I do wish I could go back back and try to encourage Teenage Me to chill out and look on the bright side a little more.
ReplyDeleteYes to this. Especially the talking to the grandparents thing. I love talking to my grandma about what life was like when she was younger.
ReplyDeleteYes to all of this... including the poloroid cam! I need to go rummage through my parents stuff to see if I find mine!
ReplyDeleteYes to the grandparents part....I miss all of mine dearly and wish I could get back the days with them. I would also tell myself to not get wrapped up in silly, stinky boys in high school...what a waste!
ReplyDeleteI definitely wish I had talked to my grandparents more. I have fond memories of playing at their house, but sadly, I feel like I didn't really get to KNOW them.
ReplyDeleteJack is sleeping and my laptop is in my reach, so I am on a commenting binge! I read every day but can't comment well on my phone or iPad. I appreciate your post scheduling time, because I usually read them when I am up for the 3 a.m. feeding!
ReplyDeleteYes to spending more time with your grandparents and not being a shit and being embarrassed to go places with them. I would like to go back and smack teenage me who was embarrassed to go to the mall with my grandmother, who wanted to go with me so SHE COULD BUY ME THINGS. God teenagers are stupid.
Private schools are totally unnecessary unless they have some super great specialized program you want OR you get a scholarship of some sort. No reason to drop $40k for a freaking education degree or something.
Also, speaking of 90210, I saw somewhere yesterday (maybe Ellen or the Today Show? I can't remember what show) that Ian Ziering is FIFTY and is going to be in the Sharknado 2 movie. Oh Steve Sanders. He's looking pretty good at 50 though, that's for damn sure.
I love all of these, but I think the one that resonated within me the most is #3. I only knew one grandparent, and I was the light of her life, and she mine. But, once I became a teen I thought I had much better things to do, and the weekly sleepovers turned to seeing her several times a year. I miss her terribly, and I wish towards the end, I had gotten my head out of my ass and spent more time with her.
ReplyDeleteLove this post.
These are all great, especially #8. And the 90210 thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't really believe in regrets either. I did #9 and definitely recommend a 2+2 (and in my case +1) college education. You get to know more schools and people. Though, I missed out on that awkward college freshman experience. I love your #3. I love that we spent so much time with my grandma, like, we saw her 6 days a week growing up, but kids and teens are so self absorbed. She died when I was 19 and I wish I was wise enough to ask more about herself.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice...but you are so right, the teenage self most likely would not listen :) What is the phrase "youth is wasted on the young". For me I would have tried to enjoy it all more and worry less. I think I would have changed a few things and definitely taken more risks (played it less safe).
ReplyDeleteI wish i'd done the two years of community college first before transferring to a big school. Would have saved a lot of money and i didn't know what i wanted at that point any ways. And really wish i'd saved my polaroid camera too!
ReplyDelete