Sixteen-year-old Self

30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me #4:

List 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self, if you could.

#1: Some of your truest, closest friends are your best friends right at this moment. Some of your closest friends right now will simply be acquaintances in adulthood. And a select few, you will never talk to again after graduation. It's ok. Priorities, commonalities, and people change. Distance and inconvenience will show you who those true friends are, because they'll still be there after college, marriage, and kids.

#2: No one is staring at that "huge" zit on your chin. You know why? First of all it's not as noticeable as you think (sidenote: applying half a bottle of concealer to it makes it  more noticeable), and secondly, everyone else is too concerned about the zits on their own chins to give yours any thought.

#3: Mom and Dad don't really like you driving over the grade. Don't worry, in about 13 years you'll live in San Luis, and you'll get to drive it all the time.

#4: Being a girl, you find things about your physical appearance to demean and compare to others constantly. Try not to do this. You are in great shape. Your body is going to keep changing, so what you complain about now will go away, only to be replaced by something else. Focus on what you like about your physical self, but focus even more on what you love about your character.

#5: You think Leonardo DiCaprio is hot now? With his bowl cut? Just wait fifteen years.

#6: You get sad sometimes about not having a boyfriend when all your friends do, or not having a date to a dance or on Valentine's Day. It's truly not a big deal. Most people don't end up with the person they dated in high school (which a good thing). You'll fondly remember the crushes you had each year, but you'll be thankful that you didn't actually date them, and in turn give any of your valuable self away to those clueless, adolescent boys. (You're still friendly with many of them, most are great guys, but you're better off without them.) Those dances you went to with your best guy friends? So much more fun than going with a boyfriend -- no drama or hurt feelings.

#7: On that note, the one boyfriend you do have in high school will end up married to your best friend. And you're all still great friends!

#8: Be nice to other girls. You don't like drama and never will, but you're a teenage girl and there are things we girls just do. Don't talk about other females or put them down. Instead of competing all the time, try to be as friendly as you can. Give compliments on their appearances, talents, intelligence, sense of humor, athleticism or even schoolwork. It won't be expected. But it's a pretty amazing feeling to make someone else's day. Especially a fellow girl. You both win.

#9: Enjoy the competition and camaraderie you have with your teammates. Never again will you play in a league the way you do now, never will you play on teams consisting of athletes who all take your sports seriously and have as much talent (and that magic ingredient: youth) as they do. You will have fun dabbling in beer league softball, and when you're lucky you'll have enough people around to play beach volleyball. But it won't be the same. Don't take the games for granted, or more importantly, the relationships you're building with your teammates.

#10: Don't be terrified to make a fool of yourself. There's nothing more attractive than a confident woman. Don't be cocky, but if you trip, laugh. If your underwear is showing, laugh. If you say something idiotic, or even fart, in front of your crush, laugh. These "humiliating" experiences will not break you as a human being. If anything, they will add to your classiness and compassion when someone else experiences something embarrassing in front of you. When it does, help that other person laugh it off, too.

#11: (Because I couldn't just follow the rules and leave it at 10.) Listen to your mom and dad. You're in a weird transition phase. You're more of a responsible adult than a child, but you're still at home and your parents will always think of you as their kid. When they won't let you do certain things, make you check in often, and ask questions when you get home, it's because they care and because they love you.  It's that simple. Humor them and be considerate. You will understand instantly when your daughters come along in ten years.