Dear Growing-Up Me,

Hi. If you are reading this, you're probably thinking 1. How is this happening? and 2. Should I listen to what you have to say?

To answer your first question, I have no idea.

To answer your second question, yes...and no. That's your own personal choice if you want to listen to what I have to tell you but I would recommend keeping an open mind at least (it's the nice thing to do).

I want to tell you that you are going to have some tribulations throughout the course of your childhood, who doesn't? But yours are going to affect you for the rest of your life.

I guess I'll start with this; girls are mean; not all of them, but a pretty decent chunk. You will come home crying, you will wonder why you were ever friends with women in the first place, and you will wish you weren't a girl yourself. But don't let the things girls say get to you. As Christopher Robin would say "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think". Your mom will become your rock and your dad will become your therapist. Don't think that this pain is going to last forever, it won't, but it will sting while you trudge along. I won't lie to you and say that things get better and people grow up. The honest truth of it all is to take everything with a grain of salt, kill them with kindness, and stay true to yourself throughout your entire life. You are 21 years old now and you still have to deal with this kind of stuff. Your parents will tell you to act upon these skills often and I suggest you listen to them from the very beginning so you don't make them repeat themselves so much. If you don't want to listen to me on this point, that's fine, but you'll make friends with guys. I will warn you now, if you are in junior high, they will probably be wearing more Axe body spray than you can tolerate. Just be patient they'll discover real deodorant soon enough.

Grades aren't everything. While school is very important, it's better to get a C on a paper you put a lot of thought and effort into, than to create something cliche and receive an A. Teachers will tell you that the ACT/SAT is super important and is necessary to showcase your excellence to colleges. While the ACT/SAT is incredibly important, these standardized tests don't showcase anything except for how well you can memorize facts from a book you bought to study for the exams. If I could change the way students would be admitted into universities, everyone would write essays. Your creativity, capacity/willingness to learn, and overall attitude are what makes the difference in a college classroom, not what number you received on a test. If you haven't picked up on my hint already, you didn't do very well on the ACT and had to write an essay. I'm not going to spoil any surprises for you, but it's good news, I'll tell you that.

You may dislike your family now, but it's when you can't be with them every day that you truly find out how much you really love them. You are your mom's replica, physically and mentally. You fight like crazy, but once you get to college, you'll realize she's one of your biggest fans and best friends. Your dad is a goofball, he always will be but you'll see a whole new side of him once you start school; he's sincere, sarcastic, and his hugs are your favorite thing to come home to. Your brother drives you nuts and he will leave for college before you, you'll miss him...a lot. But when you go off to school, he will miss you more. You two will realize why God made you siblings; you're best friends. You also need to thank him for getting you started on Star Wars, you are completely obsessed with the story line and Ewoks.

While I did tell you that you were going to have some trials to battle throughout your childhood, you will also discover the good things that come from going to war. You are optimistic, you are charming, you are funny, and you are beautiful without makeup. You are taller than most girls, your hair won't stay curly, and you will find your true identity through the bad experiences you will have.

You're one heck of a person, so behave and be nice like your mom says to you as you walk out the door, smile like your dad tells to do every time you leave his truck for school, laugh with the best friends, that will be your forever friends, in the locker bank before the bell rings, and don't dwell on the bad, instead trust in God and become excited for what's to come.

With all of the love you have in your heart,

You