If the person you are now could talk to the "you" from ten y

mholmes

Well I'll be the big 25 (yep, a quarter century old) in November so I'll do this for 14 and 15...

I'd say to myself, self "Allow me to introduce...myself. Enjoy your friendships because they won't last.... get new friends cause you're best friend is about to stab you in the back in 5, 4, 3, 2.... . Also, when you wanna go swimming with Travis and your dad says no. Don't go. Forgive your mom and don't become her. And finally instead of feeling ugly all the time, appreciate yourself and the fact that you're perfectly healthy - have all your limbs, and not really THAT bad looking. Oh and that totally cute guy you're head over heels for is gonna ask you to marry him when you're 22." :laugh:

LML79

. Forgive your mom and don't become her.

I agree with that one!!!!

annmarie4ever

I would say to me in 6 yrs your son is gonna be gone forever so treasure him now like there is no tomorrow.

mholmes

I would say to me in 6 yrs your son is gonna be gone forever so treasure him now like there is no tomorrow.

:flowerforyou:

Juliebean

I would tell the 14 yr old Julie...

Your parents are going through a really nasty divorce right now, but it has absolutely nothing to do with you, and while it will change who you are it really will be one of the best things that ever happens to your family. You really don't have to take sides. It's ok to love both of them, even though everyone around you says otherwise. You don't have to be the grown-up and take care of everything. Live a little. Enjoy being a kid.

You will "love" TJ all through high school, and he feels the same about you, but he doesn't have the guts to do anything about it. If you really feel the same way then you have to say something, otherwise you'll risk losing him forever. Pay close attention to the people around you. Your "friends" in high school don't matter after graduation. The people you think won't matter, do. Cheerleading and all the drama that comes along with it really will be the most fun you have. Try out in college. You really are good enough and if you stop now you'll regret it forever.

Oh yeah, just because you're wearing a size 12 from American Eagle does not mean you're fat! Open your eyes! Stop shopping in the juniors department and start dressing the body you have, not the body you think you should have. You're beautiful. You don't need to lose any weight, and stop listening to the people who say that you do.

You can't change anyone. It's hard enough to change yourself. Don't try to save everyone that you meet. Most people will take it for granted and they will walk all over you. You're such a nice girl and such a good person. Stay that way. Don't give in and become cynical and jaded. Not all guys are the same.

Don't turn your back on your faith. Not all churches are the same, and there is one that you will fit in with perfectly.

Absolutely, positively, under no circumstances should you take the job coaching after graduating from high school. It will be one of the biggest mistakes of your life! Second to getting yourself into credit card debt - yeah, even though you think you're smart enough to avoid it, you don't. So stop before you start! YOU DO NOT NEED CREDIT CARDS!

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go to your Christmas work party. It will cause more trouble than it's worth and that MIP will cost a lot to fight.

In a few years you will accept a job that will make you absolutely miserable. It will tear your entire life apart. There is one good thing that will come out of it, so once you become friends with Kerri, both of you should quit. Run, run, run away!

Tell the people who matter that you love them. Every day.

Phoenix_Rising

Take time for yourself.
Don't get into a committed relationship at 17. (I know he seems like your world now, but make your world about YOU for once!)
Travel. Internationally. Often and for extended periods of time.
Believe in your dreams. Don't lock them away in a box and pretend it was your idea to do so.
Live. Laugh. Love (but not in a committed relationship!).

jackeh

oh i have another...


If he cheats WITH you, he sure as heck will cheat ON you!!!

mholmes

oh i have another...


If he cheats WITH you, he sure as heck will cheat ON you!!!

:drinker: haha, AMEN!

SoupNazi

I would say to me in 6 yrs your son is gonna be gone forever so treasure him now like there is no tomorrow.

I am so very sorry to hear that.:brokenheart:

rosemarymint

I'll have to go back farther than 10 years........

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.....DO NOT PICK UP THAT CIGARETTE!!!!!!!!!

msarro

I would tell me to keep doing a good job.

I don't like all the decisions I've made, but they led to me being who I am, and where I am. And I'm pretty darn confident and happy about that.

tashjs21

16 year old Natasha...
You are NOT fat
when that ankle heals get back into soccer
Steven is moving in a year, sleep with him before he goes because you end up losing your virginity to someone who is not nearly as special as he is.
Believe the amazing things people think of you.
Apply for those scholarships your senior year instead of focusing so much on your social life. (if you do this you won't end up working at the casinos and fall for that older man who ruins your young adult years)
Don't get married to the guy who is the first one to come along after the aforementioned jack@$$. (but do divorce him when you realize your mistake)
Write more letters to your Gran, that spry 94 year old won't be there as he always has been.
Don't fall victim to the pressures in Los Angeles and start taking those diet pills (not only do the wreak havok on your body, you literally go insane during this time frame).
Be nicer to your mother she turns out to be the best friend in your life.

Nevermind, you are a stubborn strong willed girl and will think I don't know what I am talking about. (don't worry, you grow out of that some and make smarter choices and use that stubborn strong will in a better way)

WillPillageYourVillageForFood

I would tell me to keep doing a good job.

I don't like all the decisions I've made, but they led to me being who I am, and where I am. And I'm pretty darn confident and happy about that.

My feelings exactly! Every step I have taken has shaped me into the person I am now and that is not such a bad thing. Regrets, yep I've had a few but without regrets life would be very boring.

jenbar

I wouldn't have much to tell 30-year-old Shannon, but if I could talk to teenage Shannon I'd smack the cr@p out of her. :laugh:

AMEN!!! Thats me too!!

Yup, me too!
But, looking back 10 years ago, maybe wait a year or two after we got married to have kids and travel a bit by ourselves. SAVE our money. That's probably it.

mjfer123

To my 12 year old self.

" So you wanna be a rock superstar? Big house? Five cars?"

Save your money man.

And that girl in HS is basically a huge flirt and tease.
Shes not the "one guy" kinda lady....and dont make the same mistake on the same girl 3 years later when she says shes changed...
And yea, the next girl is worth waiting for, you dont know what your passing up.
You should see your other grandparents more, their time is more limited on this earth and they are far more caring. And appreciate the lonely lady next door, because she treats you like a grandson and also dies too soon, you don't know what she left behind for you.
You will go on to date an amazing girl in college, dont worry, shes in it for a long haul. Shes almost as crazy as you even!
And yea, keep playing baseball. Put down the Freihoffers cookies. Don't waste your summers inside. Video games are there later. Run, laugh, swim, go out!

mello

This is THE best thread ever.......it warrents publishing into a book to pass out to every high school or even college graduate. Reading this thread has also brought tears to my eyes numerous times...good stuff.

What I would tell 25 year old Melanie:
The one you've been in "love" with since 19 isn't who your going to end up with he's never really returned your love anyway and you know that. There is someone for you that thinks you hung the stars in the sky, and you'll never have to question his love, he'll not only tell you multiple times daily even after you've been married 9 years, but his day to day actions will still show it.

Your sister isn't perfect, she 's just as human as the next person and the next 10 years will be the hardest of her life. Be sure to help her through it by just being there, by just being her sister.

This job that you hate right now, but that you stay at for the money and because you know your going to be promoted when the boss leaves.....one month after the boss puts in his retirement papers and you begin training...the whole lab closes, and it may seem like the end of the world at the time, but you will go on to get the job of your dreams.

Don't go to church just because dad pastors there, forge your own relationship wtih God, it makes life a lot more peaceful and sweeter.

Save your money, you don't have to spend everything you make.

Get control of your eating habits, excercise more.

Your smart!! Your beautiful! Your worth it!!! You deserve it!!!
Your smart!! Your beautiful!! Your worth it!!! You deserve it!!

mholmes

This is THE best thread ever.......it warrents publishing into a book to pass out to every high school or even college graduate. Reading this thread has also brought tears to my eyes numerous times...good stuff.

What I would tell 25 year old Melanie:
The one you've been in "love" with since 19 isn't who your going to end up with he's never really returned your love anyway and you know that. There is someone for you that thinks you hung the stars in the sky, and you'll never have to question his love, he'll not only tell you multiple times daily even after you've been married 9 years, but his day to day actions will still show it.

Your sister isn't perfect, she 's just as human as the next person and the next 10 years will be the hardest of her life. Be sure to help her through it by just being there, by just being her sister.

This job that you hate right now, but that you stay at for the money and because you know your going to be promoted when the boss leaves.....one month after the boss puts in his retirement papers and you begin training...the whole lab closes, and it may seem like the end of the world at the time, but you will go on to get the job of your dreams.

Don't go to church just because dad pastors there, forge your own relationship wtih God, it makes life a lot more peaceful and sweeter.

Save your money, you don't have to spend everything you make.

Get control of your eating habits, excercise more.

Your smart!! Your beautiful! Your worth it!!! You deserve it!!!
Your smart!! Your beautiful!! Your worth it!!! You deserve it!!

I completely agree! We should definitely make this into a book! Needs to get a lil longer though, it'd be a very short book right now! :laugh:

sculley

-Run more
-take college classes (more of them)
-No guy is worth your tears
-I would tell the 17 version of myself when you meet Jonathon hold on to him because finding him 8 years later married with two kids devastated you!!!! (my first love that I met in boot camp)
-Get pregnant with Rion and run like hell don't marry his dad its more trouble than will ever be worth
-Take financial classes and save your money
-life isn't that hard enjoy your youth while you can.

Erica92627

I would tell myself
Buy a house right after highschool 'cause house prices will be 4 x's more then now.


Just think, a house could have been bought for 130 thousand, now that same house is 600+ thousand. Thanks gov. Now i cannot afford it even more.

Koozy81

wow, Sierra at 11 (just like Manda!)

-you had better go to college because you do not want to spend 45 hours a week pushing the same papers and making the same telephone calls day in and day out for next to nothing in pay

-christopher is coming into your life, but know what you'll except, what you'll compromise, and when to walk away, dont just settle for whatever you can get

-believe it or not, your parents are right about life, and hold them in highest esteem always because friends come and go but your parents will always, always be there to love and support you

-kids are cruel and the truth is, they are just as insecure as you are....everyone grows up and forgets about it anyway

-Tell Grandpa you love him and how much you love his stories that he tells, he wont always be there to tell them like you think he'll be

-live alittle...but for godsake, dont go wildchild in highschool....just.....dont

krystalmoore1986

Oh and sleep around more before getting married...LOL
(that was just a joke...well a little..LOL)

Kim

Lol so true hate to admit it haha:laugh:

krystalmoore1986

Aww thanks for this ladies, a few of these brought tears to my eyes. I would tell my twelve year old self, get out of the house, and go live with your grandma, that is NOT how men should treat women. I would tell myself its okay to eat lunch at school you dont have to wait till you get home there is nothing wrong with eating in public. I would tell myself to enjoy things like being able to lay out in the sun and get a tan, or taking naps, working out, and reading books, because once logan is born, I will not be able to do those things again for a long time!
Lose your virginity to steven, it will mean a lot more than who you would otherwise end up with, BUT then DO NOT have a child with him. He will not help you at all and you will be a prisoner in your own home. He will say the things you want to hear and then never follow through with them over and over, Dont get started with him, you arent strong enough to leave if you do. Spend more nights at grandmas, never have a serious relationship, do pretty much everything else the same.

AJCM

Thanks for sharing everyone - I enjoyed reading them...

This is a great exercise to see what you could change in your life, and really weight was it for me - I wasted precious years not swimming, not going out as much as I could, and not enjoying life becuase I felt self concious. This plan was not so much about losing weight, but about losing those feelings of not being good enough because I didn't look perfect. I still don't look perfect, and never will, but I FEEL great about myself - and all this time that was what I needed.

Good luck to all of us here - those of us just starting out, and those who have made it to the other side.
:flowerforyou:

wanderinglight

I would say to me in 6 yrs your son is gonna be gone forever so treasure him now like there is no tomorrow.

I am so very sorry.

AJCM

I wouldn't have much to tell 30-year-old Shannon, but if I could talk to teenage Shannon I'd smack the cr@p out of her. :laugh:

AMEN!!! Thats me too!!

Yup, me too!
But, looking back 10 years ago, maybe wait a year or two after we got married to have kids and travel a bit by ourselves. SAVE our money. That's probably it.

My husband just said the same thing last night - travel more before having the kids... I guess we have to wait about 15-20 yrs now to travel with that kind of freedom again??? :ohwell:

tlitzner

Hmmm, me at 16

Quit smoking. It will cause all of the hair to fall out of the right side of your head and your nose will fall off by the age of twenty. (hey, that is probably the only thing that I could tell my 16 year old self to make me quit)

Dump Paul. The fact that he cries like a b!+ch every time you try to dump isn't reason to stay. He's too skinny and wimpy for you anyway.

Get a bachelors degree. If you need to change your major, change it as many times as you need to. Just don't quit. Mom and Dad will do whatever they have to do to help you get there.

Tell Dad to buy pfiser stock. A lot of pfiser stock.

Potatoes do not a meal make. They are really bad for you. They will make you fat. I know that "stop the insanity" woman said that a baked potato has 10 calories, but the pound of butter, cheese, and sour cream has about a million and it is all being deposited on your thighs and flat tummy.

High heels are your friend.

Get on accutane. It is so worth it.

Listen to your inner voice. People are going to try to tell you that voice is wrong, but I promise you, it never is. You know what's going on, trust that pull in your gut.

Hug and kiss Mom and Dad every day. They are awesome.

Violet1980

I would say.... Grow out yor bangs and put DOWN the Little Debbie cake.

LML79

I wouldn't have much to tell 30-year-old Shannon, but if I could talk to teenage Shannon I'd smack the cr@p out of her. :laugh:

AMEN!!! Thats me too!!

Yup, me too!
But, looking back 10 years ago, maybe wait a year or two after we got married to have kids and travel a bit by ourselves. SAVE our money. That's probably it.

My husband just said the same thing last night - travel more before having the kids... I guess we have to wait about 15-20 yrs now to travel with that kind of freedom again??? :ohwell:

That is actually the one thing I can't wait for! Me and hubby were just talking about that not too long ago!! We always travelled with the kids..and they are pros...but I can't wait to start traveling without diaperbags and backpacks full of toys. We have it all planned out.. both my kids will be out of highschool by the time I am 41..so I still have a lot of living to do LOL!

AJCM

I wouldn't have much to tell 30-year-old Shannon, but if I could talk to teenage Shannon I'd smack the cr@p out of her. :laugh:

AMEN!!! Thats me too!!

Yup, me too!
But, looking back 10 years ago, maybe wait a year or two after we got married to have kids and travel a bit by ourselves. SAVE our money. That's probably it.

My husband just said the same thing last night - travel more before having the kids... I guess we have to wait about 15-20 yrs now to travel with that kind of freedom again??? :ohwell:

That is actually the one thing I can't wait for! Me and hubby were just talking about that not too long ago!! We always travelled with the kids..and they are pros...but I can't wait to start traveling without diaperbags and backpacks full of toys. We have it all planned out.. both my kids will be out of highschool by the time I am 41..so I still have a lot of living to do LOL!

ME TOO!!!! My husband and I got away to San Diego together last week, and while we did miss the kids, it was HEAVENLY!!!! Lounging by the pool, going out for drinks at midnight, eating in nice restaurants, etc...

You will still be a hot mama at 41, so that is GREAT!!! You can lounge on the beach, worry free, in a bikini then! Ours are just babies now, so we will be a bit older by the time we have freedom. :flowerforyou:

LML79

I wouldn't have much to tell 30-year-old Shannon, but if I could talk to teenage Shannon I'd smack the cr@p out of her. :laugh:

AMEN!!! Thats me too!!

Yup, me too!
But, looking back 10 years ago, maybe wait a year or two after we got married to have kids and travel a bit by ourselves. SAVE our money. That's probably it.

My husband just said the same thing last night - travel more before having the kids... I guess we have to wait about 15-20 yrs now to travel with that kind of freedom again??? :ohwell:

That is actually the one thing I can't wait for! Me and hubby were just talking about that not too long ago!! We always travelled with the kids..and they are pros...but I can't wait to start traveling without diaperbags and backpacks full of toys. We have it all planned out.. both my kids will be out of highschool by the time I am 41..so I still have a lot of living to do LOL!

ME TOO!!!! My husband and I got away to San Diego together last week, and while we did miss the kids, it was HEAVENLY!!!! Lounging by the pool, going out for drinks at midnight, eating in nice restaurants, etc...

You will still be a hot mama at 41, so that is GREAT!!! You can lounge on the beach, worry free, in a bikini then! Ours are just babies now, so we will be a bit older by the time we have freedom. :flowerforyou:

In a bikini ..LOL.!!!! I don't know about THAT one..some thing after kids just haven't *snapped* back into place hahaha!! We went to San Diego when my son was 4 and my daughter was 4 months old... it was so much fun! Newport Beach was beautiful! I would love to go back...without kids some day! Or Hawaii...someplace warm..with palm trees...that does not have Disney Characters in my photos hahahaaa!! I can't wait for those lounging on the beach days..not having to worry about how long my kid stayed under water and why they aren't coming up for air hahahahaa!!