Letters to My Life

1. Help! I'm a Teenager!

Wow, puberty is not friendly. You look around and go: "OH MY GOSH WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WITH ACNE?!!" Yeah, so you're in a bit of a rough spot. Your clothes don't fit right, your mom buys you tampons and you still don't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Or even what they are. 

Let me lay out all the rules of being a teen, what you wear, how you're supposed to act around a crush, and what gender you are.

HAHAHAHA YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THAT EASY! Sadly, being a teenager doesn't come with a set of instructions. Let's start with a story.

Once upon a time, there was a chubby 15-year-old girl who knew she was a girl and who knew she was straight and she also knew everything there was to know about the world. One day that little girl decided that maybe she was actually bisexual because there was one girl in dual credit classes who was pretty. Then the 15-year-old saw a very hot Tom Hiddleston and thought she had a thing for older men. Then that girl turned 16 after a very emotionally challenging breakup with a boyfriend that was never official and she decided to man-up and figure things out in her own way. 

She read articles on mental health and depression and read motivational books and her scriptures and probably a billion TED talks. Finally, at the ripe old age of 17, she knows where she stands as a person, what her vague goal for life is (it still needs some clearing up), and that she is, in fact, very straight and very not a waste of space. Her confidence in her body, her face, and her choices have grown immensely. She knows she's finally mature enough to have a real boyfriend (although a decent guy has yet to show himself. [WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO FIND?]). And she knows that -yes- sometimes her parents do know best. 

Some day that girl will grow up to have billions of dollars, a master's in psychology, seven weird children, a loving cat, and hopefully a decent husband. She will know the answer to every mystery in life, including understanding how insurance works and what a mortgage even does. 

Well, the ending may be a bit far-fetched, but the rest is true, with a few details left to be discussed. The point is you can't decide what things are going to happen and when in your life. Sometimes you just have to either roll with the punches or fix your mistakes to better improve yourself. 

Did I say before, parents sometimes know best? Emphasis on SOMETIMES. Your parents are not always wrong, but they're not always right either. Sometimes your parents or guardians try to make you into what they want you to become. Sometimes they expect you to be perfect, even if they know full-well that they weren't close to perfect at your age. But under everything is usually the basis that they want something better for you than they had. 

I know that every situation is different for other teenagers. You may not have a mom, you may not have a dad, you may not have either, you may have two of one or the other. Some people have never known theirs. Some parents are divorced or in prison or disconnected from their role as a parent. Even if you don't fit the stereotypical "Mom, dad, and child" picture that most adults actually use when referring to a family, there is always someone looking out for you. It could be a friend, a teacher, a grandparent, an uncle, a sister or brother, it could even be just yourself. My personal and religious belief is that a family should consist of a married man and woman, but I know that not everyone has that or believes that. You just need to know that there is always ALWAYS someone out there that cares about YOU whether you believe that or not. 

I have a framed picture quote in my room that doesn't have anyone to credit, but it says 

'Sometimes, on dark days, I think, "NOBODY CARES AND NOBODY'S COMING." Then I remember who sends these thoughts and I straighten MY CROWN.'

This quote has helped me through many tough spots, and I'm not much of a quote person. (There will most likely be many quotes to come). 

To take away from this: Remember you are not defined by your parentage. Remember to do what makes you happy, within ethical means (Murder is not cool, kids). Remember to stay true to yourself and be aware of where you stand in life. Remember that you don't know everything, but that doesn't mean you can't learn.

Thank you for reading, hope your day doesn't suck! -Sam