Hi there, middle school me! Middle school. Ew. No matter what anyone might say, middle school is awful and probably the worse two or three years of your entire schooling career, maybe even some of the worst years of your life. It's awkward, you were awkward, everyone was awkward. It's a stage of life you could do without, but it's a stage that helped you to grow into the person you are today and even though it downright sucked. Sadly, it had to happen. If I could go back now, there's some things I really wish my middle school self knew.

1. Your straightened hair doesn't look good.

Don't waste time straightening your hair every morning, because, to be honest, you don't know how to do it properly and it's going to be frizzy and wavy by the end of first period. It takes too much time, and no one really notices what your hair looks like anyway.

2. Don't waste money on brand name clothes like Aeropostale and Hollister.

You're going to outgrow this phase in a few years and you will have invested hundreds of dollars into clothes that were triple the price of a plain shirt simply because they have a brand logo on them. You can save your money and buy a $5 clearance shirt, no one will notice, I promise.

3. It's okay to act like a kid.

It's not "un-cool" to watch Spongebob or Rugrats in middle school. You'll realize by high school and college that everyone has been watching them in secret along with you. It's not uncool though. What is uncool is not watching a show because you're "too old".

4. Leave the cute boys behind.

All those adorable boys won't stay that cute sadly. In fact, most of them are in their prime if they are already that cute in middle school. If you're like me, you probably had a few guys throughout middle school you obsessed over, and when you got older, they grew up to be plain or less than average and you thanked god they never actually noticed you back.

5. The Twilight movies are really bad.

This one can slide, because you still have a special place for the twilight series in your heart and always will. But the movies, they were bad. The acting. Bella. Edward. The awkwardness, it was all so bad. You used to think the movies were perfect and amazing, but watching them now is more than cringe worthy. It's ok, we all feel the same.

6. No one needs to be grown up at this age.

People in middle school are already dating! Drinking! Kissing! Having sex! Woah, slow down. You are a child. You are 13 years old. You have the rest of your life to be an adult. There's absolutely no reason to be in a serious relationship or getting into partying at your age. It's not cool.

7. Your Osiris skater shoes aren't cute.

Why did you waste your money( well most likely your mother's money) on those hideous shoes?! They aren't fashionable or cute. They were part of a phase of you wanting to act like a goth chick- but you're not, so stop trying. The shoes are not cool or stylish. Throw them in the trash!

8. Don't be embarrassed to be seen with your parents.

No one at your age is driving. Chances are, everyone's parents are also dropping them off! No one cares if you see a movie with your dad or go shopping with your mom. Don't act like they're strangers. One day you'll wish you spent that time with them.

9. The mall isn't that cool.

The mall. It's where every middle schooler hung out every single weekend. Why? To spend money on stupid items that you will never use again after this year? The mall is crowded, hot, and, expensive. Now a days at the mall, I cringe and run from middle school crowds in the mall.

10. Those picnic photos are annoying.

Remember the days of editing pics of you are your friends with bad song quotes and sunflower symbols? Yeah, same. I have so many of these painful picnic collages hidden on my Facebook and to be honest, they are so annoying. Just take a normal picture and post it.

11. The stars you made with your hands.

No. No one wants to see a picture of you and your friends hands in the shape of a star. What's even the point of that? There was no point other than the sole fact that you were following the trends of someone else.

12. Listen to your older siblings.

Your older siblings then are you now! They really did know what they were talking about back in the day. So when they tell you that you sound annoying on Facebook, just delete the post. You do sound annoying. Your sibling has more experience than you and more often than not, they're right.

13. Don't follow trends that you don't like just to fit in.

Chances are, the only reason the other people are doing the trends is also to fit in. There are so many people in middle school and the chances that most of those kids will remember you are slim to none. They are also in their awkward phase, don't let them act better than you. Because to be honest, you are all the same and all just trying to fit in.

14. Those side bangs have got to go.

As with hair straightening, don't have side bangs if they don't look good. You can't straighten them correctly and they look greasy and bumpy. Just save the hair dresser and yourself the pain, and keep front bangs or no bangs. Trust me, side bangs don't look good and you will regret them.

15. Don't be ashamed of your braces, everyone has them.

When I got braces right before middle school, I thought life was over. I would be a dork and everyone would laugh.Not true. Everyone has braces in middle school! You all look the same. But do yourself a favor, don't mix and match nasty colors like red and green- or worse, pink and purple.

16. Do the activities you want, not the ones you think you are supposed to do.

If you want to go to the school dance, cool(they're grimy, nasty, and boring but that's besides the point). If you want to play soccer, go for it. If you want to be in the drama club, do it. If you don't want to do any of that and just want to stay home and play the Sims, that's ok too. You should do what you want, not what you think is acceptable. You'll regret doing what you truly enjoy if you don't do it now.

17. Don't get too excited for high school.

It's way better than middle school, by far, but it's not that great. The bad styles, drama, boys, and annoying girls is all just amplified. Hopefully you will have more wisdom to deal with it than you do now. Just wait for college, it is harder, but way better, I promise.

18. Those silly bands are a waste of money.

The silly bands of shapes, animals, sports team. You remember them. I had hundreds of those laying around my room. But here's the thing- it was a rubber band, for your wrist. The shape didn't matter at all because once you put them on your wrist, they all look the same. Save the money and just put a hair tie on your wrist.

19. Stop worrying about other people and worry about yourself.

You've spent your entire middle school career doing to please other middle schoolers who could care less about you. Stop wearing clothes, doing things, or saying things to look cool. Everyone is like you. No one knows what is going on and everyone is striving to fit in. Stop worrying about what they think and focus on yourself. I'm mad at you for wasting those years worrying too much about other people's thoughts!

20. You're only here for two or three more years, it gets better.

Middle school is a super small chunk of your life that will go mostly forgotten about except for the painfully bad trends you had. It's awful. It is. But it's such a short amount of time, not just in your school career, but in your whole life. If you feel awkward, weird, left out, it's ok. This isn't the end, something great is awaiting you, it starts as soon as you walk out of your middle school doors and into your future.