I’m sure everyone cringes when a memory of their middle school years is brought up. Seeing pictures from the most painfully awkward time of my life gives me second-hand embarrassment for that little kid I used to be. If I could somehow go back and give my prepubescent self some advice, here is what I’d tell her:

Relax with the eyeliner.

Is it really necessary to wear eyeliner without mascara or eyeshadow? I’m not quite sure how I went two years without anyone telling me how ridiculous I looked.

Please put on a real shirt over that camisole.

For some reason, I was truly convinced that the thin tank tops fondly known as “camis” were actual shirts that I could wear by themselves. I was sadly mistaken as I would stretch it down to as far down as it could go and hoped it would touch my knees.

Please delete your Facebook.

When I see statuses from five and six years ago pop up on my Timehop I am STILL embarrassed by my hourly updates of the oh-so-interesting things I was doing such as “hanging with my besties” or “soccer practice ;D.” Also, the spelling errors really hurt my now grammar-conscious heart.

And your myspace account.

Enough said…

Stop fighting with your friends over trivial issues.

Thinking about the fights my friend group would get into in middle school is honestly hilarious. From arguing about whose mom is going to pick us up at the movies to the fact that someone happened to buy the same UGG boots as someone else, my junior high self basically thrived on unnecessary arguments.

That boy isn’t worth the tears.

Why I would get so upset over young boys with flippy hair that I would date for no longer than a few months is beyond me. It’s funny to look back on but at the time, it was serious business.

Even though you’re super weird, you’re also pretty cool.

Even though I dressed like I got ready in the pitch dark every morning while I said and did really strange things, I had a lot of friends and was a lot of fun because I didn’t care what anyone thought of me, especially because everyone was equally awkward and weird. Middle school was an odd time for everyone, and despite its ups and downs, those three years were some of the best of my life.