Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
Did you get a chance to check in with the teen or young adult in your life yet?
To round out our theme of back to school, I thought I would take some time to reflect on my high school days. After being at my reunion a weekend or so ago, it brought back some memories of what I did and the experience that I had.
I am writing this letter to my high school self. It is about all things I know now but didn’t know then.
Dear my high school self,
Here I am sitting thirty-five years later thinking about what high school was like. I have some very fond memories of my time in high school, but there were also challenges.
Here are some of the accomplishments,
- I wasn’t the most popular girl in school, but I was nice to everyone I met. I was an academic achiever and graduated in the top 11% of my class.
- I was the underclass photo and section editor of the yearbook my senior year.
- I played the clarinet in marching, pep and concert bands. We played at football, basketball and hockey games and even some fun places off campus. We travelled with our hockey team to the state tournament, and I participated in the instrumental solo contest in my senior year. We marched in our city’s 4th of July parade and competed at the state fair. all four years I was in high school.
- I played softball in the summer league as a catcher. One year I went to the state tournament with my team and stayed at a hotel with my teammates.
Here are some of the challenges,
- I didn’t have a boyfriend in high school. Not that this is a bad thing, but to feel like you fit in, it was something that those that fit in seemed to have.
- I went to only one high school dance, our winter formal. And my date was asked by my friend to take me.
- During the second half of my senior year, my closest friends singled me out and gave me the silent treatment. I ended up trying to make new friends to hang out with at a time when I should have been celebrating my last year and getting excited for the next chapter
Everyone has their own high school story
Knowing what I know now, what advice would I give to my high school self?
- Not having a boyfriend was no big deal. Even though you may feel like you don’t fit in, the fact that you didn’t have a boyfriend was dependent on so many things other than you.
- Your friends making you feel bad about yourself was wrong. Everyone was so immature at that point in their lives, no one was able to defend themselves once the group decided to do something. Teens can be mean. It isn’t ok, but it happens.
- High school is a time for growing up and for having help and a safe place to do it. Making mistakes is a part of the process. Do what you want to do with the experience. Trying to do everything right and being afraid to take risks because of it will keep you from making the most of the experience in front of you.
- Reach out to others when you don’t feel right. Many of those people you thought had everything together, were also feeling some of the weird feelings you were. Had you started a conversation instead of feeling bad, you may have opened some opportunities with people who you didn’t think you could have hung out with.
One of the things I have learned by attending my high school reunions over the years is that my classmates are people just like me. It took us all a while to feel confident enough about ourselves to just be us and be open to the other people around us.
If you are in high school now, maybe some of my thoughts will help you to feel better about feelings you may be having. Four years of high school went fast, and it is a small part of your life (I know it doesn’t seem like it now).
For those of you who have high school in your rearview mirror, what advice would you give to your high school self? Let me know in the comments below.
Two of my post high school accomplishments
Be sure to stop by the books tab and take a look at the teen books that I have wrote and published. They talk about challenges that teens face in high school and would be great reads for that teen or young adult in your life.
Have a great week!
