High school was a hot mess. From my mom and I battling about my make-up, to crying over boys to my best friend, to trying to manage six classes at one time and holding myself back from jumping off a cliff every other week when drama worked it's way into my life, I was pretty much all over the place. High school was full of highs and lows. It was great while I was there, but I'd never go back. When I look back, sometimes I cringe at my choices or my friend's choices, so this is some advice for my former 16-year-old self:
1. Stop trying to grow up so fast.
High school will be over before you even have time to blink, so stop trying to rush your life, acting older than you are. Embrace your teenage years. Be a teenager--don't impersonate an adult. It's not fun, trust me.
2. Do yourself a favor and refrain from using the "But, Mom, I'm 16 years old, I can make my own decisions" defense/excuse.
All that does it point out how young you are and how much of life you haven't lived. You don't know anything yet, sit down.
3. Get used to your pimples.
They'll be around for awhile. They're a part of life. Get over it. And, stop popping them, it only makes it worse.
4. Boys are going to use you. Period.
This is the age where boys learn if they say the right thing, they can get you to do anything. Don't fall for it. You may be young but you don't have to be dumb. Be the one they can't have.
5. Spending over an hour getting ready for school is a waste of time and precious sleep.
It's not a fashion show, you don't have to resemble a model. You're frying your hair with the straightener every morning simply so that one boy in your math class will look at you for longer than five seconds. Do yourself a favor and sleep in.
6. If he doesn't like you for you, forget about him.
Not worth it. Onto the next. You should only give your time to guys who realize how truly awesome you are.
7. Girls will always be mean, obnoxious attention-seekers.
Find a way to deal with it, and don't be surprised when you see this for the rest of your life. Far too many girls must be the center of attention or put other girls down to feel better about themselves. Don't get involved. Sit back and let them embarrass themselves.
8. Don't pretend to like whatever he likes just to make it seem like you have something in common.
Do not, I repeat, do not listen to rap songs on repeat until you know the words well enough to have a conversation with him about them if you actually hate rap. It's okay to not like what he likes and if he doesn't like you for not liking what he does, then boy, bye.
9. Take school seriously, college comes faster than you'd think.
If you graduate high school with great grades, then you'll get scholarships for college. And, let me tell you, you want as much money as you can get. Put down your phone for an hour and get your work done. Studying is not overrated.
10. Calm down with the eyeliner.
You don't know how to apply it and I can guarantee wearing it only makes you look like a raccoon. Say goodbye to the eyeliner. Glitter is fine, though. I definitely approve of glitter.
11. Do as much as you can.
Have fun in so many different ways and never stop making the most of your high school years. Get involved. Meet new people. Have an open-mind.
12. Don't give a crap what anyone thinks of you.
If that guy doesn't like you, sucks for him. If that girl feels the need to talk bad about you to her friends, turn your shoulder and keep on walking. Hold your head high. What these people think of you doesn't matter, what you think of yourself does.
13. Rumors will not ruin your life.
Rumors are bound to happen - although they suck big time and can cause so much extra drama in your life, you need to be bigger than them. It's not up to you to correct whether they're true or not. It's up to you to carry on with your life as if nothing happened, until the next rumor washes over the school about three days later.
14. Just because your friends are doing it, doesn't mean you have to.
Go with your gut. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. There's a difference between an "oh shit, this is a bad idea" feeling and an "oh shit, this so exhilarating" feeling. Trust me, you'll know the difference.
