1. Your boobs won't grow. Sorry. You will be thankful for this when you realize you've stopped growing at 5 feet tall. Boys will look you in the eyes, not at your chest. You want someone who likes you for you, not what your body looks like. The boys who compared you to a piece of plywood will get there's in the end, I promise.
2. You'll get the phone you want, the laptop you want, and myspace won't be cool in high school. All of these things will eventually control your life. So please just enjoy playing on the slip in slide in the front yard for as long as you can. Eventually people will tell you that you're too old to do that and your eyes will hurt from staring at your computer screen all day long. So stop asking for a cell phone and just go outside and play, okay?
3. You're going to go to summer camp when you're 13. And it will change your life forever. Then you'll be a camp counselor and that will change your life again. For the better, I promise!
4. Say no to British boys. Always. No matter what!!! Trust me on this. The accent will pull you in and you'll think that England isn't THAT far. Pay attention in social studies because it is!
5. You will go to Hawaii, Paris, and New York City before you turn 20. Cool, huh? You will learn amazing things every time you go somewhere new. Never ever pass up the opportunity to travel.
6. You will have a teacher in high school who will threaten you by saying she will have "academic dishonesty" written on your permanent record and you "will never ever go to college". She's full of shit (yes you will cuss when your older, it's a bad habit we're working on). But please try your hardest in school. It may seem cool at the time to goof off in class and get bad grades but you're really only making it harder on yourself. You have the potential to go anywhere in the world! Don't let those teachers be right!
7. Those friends who you were goofing off with? 8 out of 10 of them will end up pregnant, unemployed, and/or bored to tears in this stupid town. Don't let them hold you down.
8. Lets talk a little bit more about boys. Every boyfriend will feel like "the one". Down the road you will be oh so thankful you were wrong. The break ups will feel like the end of the world and you will wonder how you will ever move on. You will! College will let you meet so many cool people, and a lot of cute boys. You won't have a high school sweetheart but that's totally okay!! When you're at a bar in Amsterdam getting kissed on the cheek by your new friends you will be glad there's no ring on your finger.
9. Choosing a boy over your friends is really stupid. You will try to convince yourself that it's okay because "friends are temporary and he could really be the one". He won't be and you're really going to hurt your friends feelings. Why would you want to be with someone who would not only do that to you, but your best friend? Walk away asap!
10. You will regret not going to prom, no matter how hard you pretend it doesn't bother you.
11. Be nice to your stepdad. He really is a nice guy. He would do anything for you if you asked him to.
12. You're going to try and hide things about yourself to fit in. You won't want to admit your Jewish. Your friends will say how much they hate reading and you'll try to shove your eReader to the bottom of your bag. You will try not to talk about where you got your clothes or what your doing over the school breaks. Eventually you will realize that you are surrounded by people who will love you despite your flaws and will continue to be your best friend way after high school (thank you Miss Daniel for loving me unconditionally).
13. Every year you will tell yourself "by this time next year I'm going to figure out what I'm going to do after high school". You won't figure it out. That's okay though. It will be stressful and there will be many bumps in the road. But it's better to figure it out while you can than being 35 and working a job you hate.
14. Mom and dad are only human. You'll fight with them and think they're crazy and think they have no idea what they're doing. It's almost your 20th birthday and you still think that sometimes. They aren't perfect and are doing the best they can to handle a piece of work like you. Give them a hug and tell them you love them.
15. Bullies don't go away after high school. They will live in your dorm room and they will leave you stranded on the side of the road in New York. This is just a fact of life that unfortunately we can't do anything about. Remember that karma will always work it's way in the end. Just keep being the best person you can possibly be, it will reward you in the long run.
16. Stop saying you're going to leave California. You will make friends all over the world and you will see a lot of places. Always keep an open mind and experience these things. Because you will only appreciate coming into smoggy LAX and going in in-n-out while wearing flip flops in January that much more. Many people would love to live in this wonderful place you call home.
17. Your braces will come off. You will figure out how to use a straightener. You will have a make up collection that requires storage containers. Stop looking in the mirror and wishing you could look like your friends. You aren't them! You're Jen. You will have a smile that makes 6 years of braces worth while. It all comes with time. So enjoy your flawless skin and being able to get ready pretty fast in the morning. You'll miss that when it's 6 am and you've burnt yourself with your curling iron and you've poked yourself in the eye doing your make up. And obviously you don't grow out of your clumsiness. Sorry!
18. When you finally get to college and experience freedom, you will go crazy. You won't really go to parties in high school so college is going to be insane. GOING TO YOUR FRIDAY CLASS WHILE YOU RE STILL DRUNK IS NOT OKAY. You will think you're having the time of your life. And it is fun until mom and dad find out you've failed a few classes. Then you have to move home!!!!! Something you said you would never do. So go have fun, but try to prioritize please.
19. Be thankful your days of cheering on the football field aren't "the best years of your life". The people who say that have a really hard time with the 3/4 of their life left. You can be a writer in New York City. You can teach English to kids in a foreign country. You can do whatever you want if you believe me when I say there will be great things to come your way after high school. Don't get caught up in thinking being 16 is the best thing ever!
20. You will be almost 20 years old and still act like a big kid. You will stop in the middle of a conversation and say "puppy!!!" and proceed to point to the dog across the street. You will still listen to boy bands and prefer to wear something if it's pink. You will still struggle to do laundry and you won't even try to work the dish washer. Every outfit will always be better if you have a bow in your hair. What I'm trying to say is that even though at 10 years old all you want to do is grow up, you will do everything in your power to avoid it eventually.
Happy almost birthday to me.
Much love,
Jen
20. You will be almost 20 years old and still act like a big kid. You will stop in the middle of a conversation and say "puppy!!!" and proceed to point to the dog across the street. You will still listen to boy bands and prefer to wear something if it's pink. You will still struggle to do laundry and you won't even try to work the dish washer. Every outfit will always be better if you have a bow in your hair. What I'm trying to say is that even though at 10 years old all you want to do is grow up, you will do everything in your power to avoid it eventually.
Happy almost birthday to me.
Much love,
Jen
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