What message would you give your 15-year-old self, if you could?
Damn, it's an exciting thing when you find a website which advertises blog "fuel". Thanks Leah (newly crowned, world traveling, Digital Culture Evangelist - Holy crap that must look awesome on a business card...).
This bit of fuel caught my eye and I realized that I have a few things I'd share with my 15 y/o self if I could. It's interesting reading what people regret in their teenage years...
Like Leah I did the travel and study abroad thing big time (perhaps not enough before I decided to get all domestic, like. But whatever.) I don't feel like I missed this boat. But you know, once you taste that, it's hard to not be all global nomad.
Not smoking was a memo I should have gotten at, I dunno, 10? But it's a bit hard when your folks effectively see to it that you are a well and truly nicotine addicted regardless of whether or not you're the one actually doing the smoking. "It wasn't my fault, officer, I was smoking in the womb!". No harm, no foul, I figured out that it wasn't such a good idea sooner rather than later. Being married is SO much harder than quitting smoking.
As for the virginity thing, well, I don't regret my first time, in fact if my drunken university memory serves, I initiated said encounter - quite liked the bloke involved, can honestly say I still do... that said, if I were dishing advice out to my 15 year old self, I would have encouraged me enthusiastically to hurry up already and sleep with the other boy. That way you wouldn't still be wondering at age 30 if that would have been as hot as you suspect it would have been.
But at age 15 I was a very 'good' Anglican School Girl (wearing a uniform daily that Husband wishes desperately that I'd kept. Sorry dear.)
So, what other advice?
This bit of fuel caught my eye and I realized that I have a few things I'd share with my 15 y/o self if I could. It's interesting reading what people regret in their teenage years...
Like Leah I did the travel and study abroad thing big time (perhaps not enough before I decided to get all domestic, like. But whatever.) I don't feel like I missed this boat. But you know, once you taste that, it's hard to not be all global nomad.
Not smoking was a memo I should have gotten at, I dunno, 10? But it's a bit hard when your folks effectively see to it that you are a well and truly nicotine addicted regardless of whether or not you're the one actually doing the smoking. "It wasn't my fault, officer, I was smoking in the womb!". No harm, no foul, I figured out that it wasn't such a good idea sooner rather than later. Being married is SO much harder than quitting smoking.
As for the virginity thing, well, I don't regret my first time, in fact if my drunken university memory serves, I initiated said encounter - quite liked the bloke involved, can honestly say I still do... that said, if I were dishing advice out to my 15 year old self, I would have encouraged me enthusiastically to hurry up already and sleep with the other boy. That way you wouldn't still be wondering at age 30 if that would have been as hot as you suspect it would have been.
But at age 15 I was a very 'good' Anglican School Girl (wearing a uniform daily that Husband wishes desperately that I'd kept. Sorry dear.)
So, what other advice?
- Stop being such an awful bitch to your Mum. Clearly you two don't understand each other right now, but in time you will. Stop it already.
- The illicit, very drunken nightclubbing with the rugby team(s) 5 years your senior - probably not such a good idea. You aught to rethink that one.
- You are thin at 15 in a way that you will never be again. Buy a TINY bikini now (and hide it from Mum), and eat and enjoy...
- Keep your school uniform. It will make someone important very happy one day.
posted by Louisa at 12:41 PM
2 Comments:
I love this! Thinking about it can be fun, painful, bittersweet...really cool food for thought : )
Love the "keep the school uniform" too bad mine was from marching band.
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