Dear 16 year old me...

Writing a letter to 16 year old you may seem abit psycho (!) but I think writing it has made me realise just how far I have come in a few years. If you are younger than me, please, learn from this letter. 

 Here is my letter to 16 year old me..

 

Dear Bethany,

You are beautiful. So what you wear glasses and have a brace? Glasses will become a trend in a few years time. And that brace? That brace that is so painful, and annoying and unattractive, will one day give you teeth that everyone is jealous of.

That acne on your face? It’s really not as bad as it seems. It looks 100 times worse to you than it does to anyone else. And one day it will be gone – I know its hard to believe now, but one day you will have no acne, just have patience with those tablets. They DO work.

Oh and Bethany! Study for your exams – GCSE’s and A levels that will soon be here. I know it’s boring and tedious but those courses you want to do at university you’ll only be able to do if you get the grades.  And trust me Bethany, those courses will be so much harder to get into in the year 2012. Pick media and English and health and social for a level. And stick with the philosophy, it gets better!

Bethany – use your talent. Don’t hide it away because you feel everyone else is so much better at it than you. SING GIRL. Have the confidence to let go on that stage. Don’t be so tense. God gave you that voice, use it. Improve every day. Go to that theatre group you’ve been wanting to go too. Don’t be shy.

That boy you’re in love with and are planning a future with? He’s not thinking the same dear girl. He’s 16... for a boy, in emotional intelligence that’s about 13. Don’t pin all your hopes and dreams on him because he’s going to break your heart. And another boy will break your heart after him too because you still won’t have learned to put your hope and plans in God rather than on a boy. And neither of them will ever speak to you again even though they say they want to be friends. But you will learn eventually. And you will become strong. And just because your heart gets broken it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. No Bethany, you are not ugly, you are not unlovable, and you won’t be alone forever. You are so young and the plans for you are so massive, and your character is being built.

Those girls at school you really want to be like? Don’t be.  Stay you at school. Stand up for what you believe in, stand up for that girl getting bullied because she has special needs. Stand up to those girls who laugh at you for not wearing make up to school, or for going to church on a Sunday and not getting drunk every weekend. Don’t be that girl who every Monday was sitting in the loo’s crying about what she had done with that boy on the weekend. When you get to 19 you will realise that you are just as good as them. You are just as pretty. You are just as “cool”

Don’t worry so much about what people think about you! I bet you there is at least one person out there who wishes they could be just like you. I know it’s difficult because you want to be liked and popular, but the people who are right for you and good for your life will love you FOR BEING BETHANY and not for being something you are not.

The friends you have at school at the moment? Treasure every moment with them, every laugh, every disagreement. Because you’ll only be in contact with 2 of those school friends  when you’re 19. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing, you see Bethany, people change, they move on.  People who you thought were your friends really won’t be, and they will do things and say things that hurt you. And you will meet people in the most unexpected of ways who will change your life and become life long friends.  Never take for granted those friends who always make an effort with you, because in life it’s not about who you have known for the longest – it’s about who came and never left.

That job of yours that you really don’t like going too? It’s really not that bad. Stick it out. You’ll realise how blessed you were to be in such a good Saturday job.

Bethany – value your family. I know it may seem like they are always getting on your back and telling you what to do. But they know best and they know you better than anyone. They will always be the ones there to pick up the pieces when you are broken. And don’t forget Bethany, as you get older, so are your parents so look after them. Be a role model for your younger sister; don’t do anything you wouldn’t want her to do.

Finally Bethany, never stop putting God first. Once you stop putting God in charge of your life, and going down your own road it will leave you broken.  If something doesn’t feel right in your heart and gut in your life then it probably isn’t – never ignore that feeling.

x

 

What would you tell your 16 year old self? For some of you reading this 16 may be ages ago, for some of you 16 will be more recent and some of you won’t have even reached 16 yet. Just remember, it is never too late to become who we really want to be and to do all the things we want to do.