A Letter to My High School Self

Dear High School Self,

Well things just got a little better, now didn't they? (Refer back to A Letter to My Junior High Self)

Boyfriend. Job. Friends, both new and old. For a while, it really seems like you're on a roll! Although... you probably could have done a few things better.

First of all. Don't start smoking. Ok, let's be fair- this happened in the summer before high school, and you quit only a few months into grade 10. Can we just agree that it was a dumb decision to ever try it? Now you're going to buy into the lie that it's a stress reliever, and any little squabble with the boyfriend will send you running for a pack. Just plain dumb. Do your future self a favor and stay away from those bad boys, otherwise it's quite likely you'll struggle with this well into your twenties.


Speaking of that boyfriend. Oh.... the boyfriend. Let's just be fair and remember that very few teenagers are living at their full potential, and their decisions reflect this truth. Especially true for young men. A lot of the young men you'll encounter in high school will kind of suck at the basics - respecting women, living honorably, being a great friend. This doesn't mean that they will always suck at life. No, in fact most of them will move on to do great things. To become good men. And as such in my case, maybe they'll even marry a childhood friend of yours. But when they are young, they are often driven by their hormones (as are young women!) and will be lead astray from the hopes and desires you have invested in him.

What you need to remember is what you deserve in a man. You deserve a great, respectful, honorable young man. One that will always be honest with you, and never betray your trust. One that will treat you like the beautiful creation that God made you to be. He should want to protect you, and protect your heart. I'm pretty sure I could write a number of blog posts on this very subject so I'll just leave that one where it is.

Save yourself some time- pay attention in class and apply yourself. It's a bit of a Catch 22 when you ditch class for your social life only to find that in Grade 12 when most of your friends are enjoying their spares you are spending your time repeating classes. Remember that camping trip with friends you missed because of summer school? Also could have been avoided. Wise up High School Melissa!

Please remember that in High School you are in fact 15-17 years old. Now I know you're dating someone slightly older, but you're not even acting HIS age. You're trying so hard to speed up the aging process that you're leaving behind some of your friends who are going through life at a normal pace. A fake ID doesn't make you an adult, and neither does that promise ring on your finger. FYI- you DON'T marry him. (But don't worry - your future hubby is well worth the wait!)

Experience High School! Dances, football games, rallies, school events and parties. These are all things that if missed out on, you will regret. Your high school memories should not be exclusive to the boy you dated and the place you worked. Oh, and while we're on that subject, can you please cut back your hours? At your age not only should you not be working 36.5 hours a week, but you certainly don't need that much money. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment later on when you move out and realize that you aren't loaded anymore and don't have the freedom to buy whatever you want whenever you want. (Ouch, hard reality lesson!)

High school isn't a total loss though. You learn to love art class even more, and receive some pretty important encouragement in your writing from your English teacher. You go through some hard times with close friends, and learn how lucky you are to live the life you do. You learn how to drive, get your first car, and then learn to drive a stick. You discover you love loud angry hardcore music even though every single friend you have thinks it's weird. Your fashion sense gets slightly better. You start to become your own person. Success!

Oh, and one last thing.... just because you are getting your Grad pictures done privately doesn't mean that you don't need to look good for the ones the school is taking. Oh, if only I could save you the heart attack you have when you realize that picture goes in the yearbook...

Love Always,
Your Older Self