I'm going to let you in on a secret: you're awesome just the way you are.
I read your journal today, and first of all, please work on your punctuation and grammar. You're still young, and I know that for the most part you have your head in the clouds during class, but for my sake, pay attention every once in a while. Especially in math class. It will do you (and me) some good. Secondly, I wanted to write this letter to you to let you in on a secret: you are going to be okay and you're awesome just the way you are.
Reading your journal has made me realize that it is hard being a preteen/teenage girl. I give you credit for getting through middle school. That was a tough time, wasn't it? I don't need to go into details, but never, ever get bangs again. And stop trying to straighten your hair! You'll someday appreciate your curls, and you always miss that spot on the back of your head anyway.
There are a bunch of things I wish I could tell you to save you from some of the grief I read in the pages of your journal. But I'll address the important things.
Stop worrying about being cool. Or popular for that matter (which is such a early 2000s thing to worry about). You'll never be cool. So, when you stop trying, all the people you wanted to impress will still think you're weird and you'll eventually find out that they're no fun to be around. It's true. But, you'll figure out that the people who matter will think you are the coolest thing since sliced bread. You will have friends who love you (because they're quirky too), and at every family gathering, you will be chased around by a gaggle of little kids who think you are the most fun person to be around.
Those are the people who matter. Not the jerks you encounter at school. So, take out those pokemon cards you have hidden under your bed, play your video games with your cousins, and watch your anime shows with your dad with pride, darn it.
Also, I should add that in my eyes, you are a pretty cool kid.
Stop obsessing over your looks. You, my friend, worry too much about someday being pretty. I know it's easy to say that as someone who is not in middle/high school, but trust me, someday you will look in the mirror and tell yourself you're beautiful, just like you did before preschool each day: "You're perfect, you're smart, and you're beautiful." I wish the world didn't crush that in the time between preschool and high school. No boy made you feel beautiful when you were four, you just knew you were. And someday you'll get there again. Don't worry.
When boys do start paying attention to you in high school, I wish you would just RUN FOR THE FREAKING HILLS. But you won't. You will finally feel like your life is a Taylor Swift song. But, just remember she wrote a lot of songs about break ups. Sorry, girl, but I'm here for you when those come. And remember that each one is a lesson learned.
Which brings me to my next point:
You're going to more than fine. The best has yet to come. Some people will tell you that high school will be the best years of your life. They mean well, but they were wrong. You will have some good memories, but the best years of your life have yet to come. In college, you're going to do some things you never thought was possible for that quiet girl you always thought you were. You are going to do crazy things, like getting onstage and acting in a show, and traveling the world, all the while making memories you'll cherish forever. You're going to meet people that feel like they were always meant to be a part of your life.
You'll meet a boy during the first week of college who wears baggy jeans and quotes your favorite movie (How the Grinch Stole Christmas). He will make you laugh, and you will make him laugh, and he will be everything you hoped for and never thought to ask for. You will someday marry that man, and you'll live together in a green house by a river. And even then, your life will keep getting better.
You're going to have a little boy someday. And that little boy is going to look at you like stars fall out of your mouth whenever you speak. He's going to look a lot like you, too, and you will think he is the most beautiful thing you ever saw. You're going to name him Henry, (I promised you I would!) and I cannot wait for you to meet him.
So, with all this said, I just want you to know that you're going to be okay. In fact, you're going to be awesome. High school is going to be rough, but you're going to push through it and come out the other side ready to go out into the world and try new things, and experience a great life. You have so many things to be thankful for. Thank God all you can. I'm excited for you, and for me, because even now I'm sure the best years of my life are still in the making.
Sincerely,
Me (you)
P.S. Start stockpiling toilet paper. You'll thank me later.
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