There was a time during our teenage lives
where we were uncertain about almost everything – being unsure and desperate
for guidance was how I carried myself during the first few years of
teenager-dom. It wasn’t easy back then, and it still isn’t easy now. But I’d
like to think that I’ve learnt a few things in the meagre three years between
then and now.
Back then, I would’ve absolutely killed for
someone older and more experienced to tell me what to do. And so I sought out
other people for some advice – anything, really. But the thing is, I never
actually took any of their advice. So in saying that, I’m doing myself a favour
and sending out a letter to my 16-year-old self in hopes that she’ll take heed
of it.
To my
16-year-old self,
Sixteen. One of
the most important ages a girl can turn – hell, there are even movies dedicated
to teenagers turning the ultimate sweet sixteen. It’s the year everything seems
to pile up, sometimes even threatening to overflow. There are times when you’ll
sit in your room and just cry because everyone and everything seems to be so
against you, but then there are other times where you’ll find yourself the
happiest you’ve ever been and wishing you could relive that moment forever.
Turning sweet
sixteen – the year you learn to drive a car (provided you get your license), the
year parties and alcohol take over (for a select few, this might not be the
case); it’s the year that exams start to take precedent, where friendships form
and collapse; the year that you can legally have sex and discover things about yourself
that you didn’t know before.
I’m not going to
lie, turning sixteen was not easy for me. I cried, a lot – about everything you
can imagine. Sixteen marked the end of my junior high school life, along with
the start of that horrendous two senior years that you’re ultimately going to
face. Sixteen was the year I lost some of my closest friends, but also formed a
tight-knit friendship (that is sadly, now over). Your teenage years are all
about trial and error. Remember that.
I made some
stupid choices in my sixteenth year but that’s ok. Think of it as a learning
experience; you’ll grow, you’ll mature, you’ll laugh at how stupid you were,
but you wouldn’t be you if it weren’t for those particular experiences.
1. Don’t let boys take over your world.
I’ve seen so
many people crash and burn during the whole 15-17 year old age range. Sixteen
is the year where you notice everything. You might’ve giggled over a few
crushes back in the day with your friends, but this is the year where things
get a little more serious. You’re more willing to experiment with your love
life, which is absolutely ok. Talk to boys (or girls for that matter), get to know
them, break hearts, have your heart broken. Just don’t let them take over your
world. Don’t shut your friends out, don’t neglect your schooling, don’t abandon
everything that makes you you, just
for a boy.
