Dear Teenage Girls,

I hope this letter finds you well, but I am sure it’s found in the midst of some teenage angst. I’m sure you will think me naïve and a little out dated, but truth be told I too was once a teenage girl. I went through the same hormones as you, I’ve experienced the drama of the mean girls and I’ve even had my heart broken by a teenage boy. Your issues are not new, although they are masked in disrespect, attitude and general malaise for anyone older and seemingly wiser than you.

Don’t roll your eyes at me. Just because you see me as some old lady, past my prime and now someone people call ma’am don’t let any of that fool you. I too can twerk, but chose not to out of respect for myself. I too know who Fette Wap is and can recite every word to trap queen, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to. I too can wear short skirts and hit the club thinking I’m all that and I admit sometimes I still do, but those days are few and far between know why? Because life is made up of so many other things. It’s made up of responsibility, things I have to deal with that makes you dealing with not loading Snapchat as a mere inconvenience. I have children to take care of, something I hope and pray you don’t have to worry about for years,but if you find yourself in that position now, I pray to God you have a support system. I have seen things I hope you never have to see, but I know you think now what I thought then which is “It won’t happen to me”

Well guess what? It happens. It happens every day. It happens every day you are too busy texting instead of talking to those you care about. It happens while you are worried about which pair of kicks to wear with tomorrow’s outfit to senior cut day. It happens while you are busy tweeting and instagraming thinking I have no idea how any of that works. Well, I may have not had the technology you currently do, but what I did have was respect. For myself, for my elders, for authority figures. I had friends that I still talk to and catch up with and we laugh about silly times we had. Yes I know you will find it hard to believe but there were drugs and alcohol and boys and parties and summers driving with the windows open and the music blasting. There were arguments with friends and homework and chores and nagging mother’s. There were parents we couldn’t stand and the teacher we hated and even the kid we picked on although I wish I could go back and change that now.

What I need you to understand is that, I may be in my forties now, but I was once a teenage girl and your issues, your problems, your life’s woe’s are not new to me. So stop for one second and look up from your IPhone 6 screen and listen. Learn. Soak it all in. I may be “old” in your eyes, but always remember, I was once you and someday you will be in your forties it will be your turn to be me. It happens to the best of us.

Sincerely,
Used to be a Teenage Girl