To All The Girls I Grew Up With, Here's Some Advice You Didn't Ask For, But Eventually Might Need | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

To All The Girls I Grew Up With, Here's Some Advice You Didn't Ask For, But Eventually Might Need

No matter where you are in life, as long as you're listening to your heart you'll be just fine.

124
To All The Girls I Grew Up With, Here's Some Advice You Didn't Ask For, But Eventually Might Need
Genessa Panainte

I usually give my best advice after I've had a couple glasses of what I like to call "courage juice" (a.k.a Sangria). One Saturday night I had some of my "courage juice" and decided to write down a list of things I wanted to say to all the girls that I've grown up with over the years. From elementary school to college, here's some tipsy advice from your dependable single, legal, wine-induced, college friend.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert and all of my advice should be taken with a grain of salt. These are my personal opinions and if you don't like them let's just agree to disagree.

1. To the girl who only talks about her boyfriend.

Girl Talk 101 clearly states that one must have a wide variety of topics when talking to friends and the conversation must never sway back into the realm of "boyfriends" no more than once per hang-out. Okay so maybe I just made this rule up but you should definitely take it into consideration.

I've been on both ends of the spectrum; I've been the friend who always talks about her boyfriend and more recently I've been the friend stuck listening to her girlfriends go on about their perfect relationships.

News flash: IT"S ANNOYING. Talk about him for two minutes and move on.

He is not that interesting to the people that aren't in love with him. Just pretend you're a sports newscaster giving the highlights. Make it quick and snappy and move the conversation along. If not, your single friends will be bored and your friends in a relationship will just start talking about their "amazing" boyfriend as soon as you're done.

2. To the girl about to marry her high school sweetheart.

Let me just say if I married who I dated in high school we'd be in a bit of a pickle right now. I am not the same person who I was in high school. I'm barely the same person I was a year ago.

Please don't hold on to someone just because it's convenient or you've grown up with them. When you start dating someone that young and continue to date into adulthood, it's hard to find your true self.

I had a boyfriend from 15 to 18 and that is YOUNG. Don't get me wrong, I'm still young, but I'm also a lot more self-aware than I was as a teenager. Back then I thought I liked hunting, fishing, and country music. WHAT? If you know me now you'd probably think I was lying because this Sara enjoys jumping up and down at EDM concerts and wearing graphic tee's with Sublime and Nirvana written on them.

I pretended to be into whatever my boyfriend was into and that's completely stupid. If your high school boyfriend accepts you as you are then you're probably good to go, but if you're ignoring the voice in the back of your head telling you how you TRULY feel, it's probably time you take a deeper look at your relationship.

3. To the frequent "Facebooker's".

STOP POSTING YOUR WHOLE LIFE ONLINE. No one cares what Sally said to Susie. No one has ever cared. Seriously.

That's all I have to say about this one, it's pretty self-explanatory.

4. To the girl like me.

I am 21. I am super-duper single. I am independent (except for mom and dad, thank you for everything by the way). I am smart. I am strong. I am awesome. I am beautiful. I am a little chunky. I am a good friend. I am sometimes under-appreciated, overlooked, and ignored. But I know I'm worth far more than people give me credit.

If you relate to that then here's some advice, friend to friend:

Don't let guys walk all over you. Don't let your friends take you for granted. Don't hold grudges. Call people out when they're wrong. Call your parents. Stand your ground and never hold back. Stand up for yourself. Learn to be patient with people. Learn to forgive people even if they didn't ask for it or if they don't deserve it. Learn from your mistakes.

5. To every girl in the world.

Go on, be brilliant, do great things. Whether you're in college, still at home, starting a family, or becoming a social media starlet, as long as you're listening to your heart you'll be just fine.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

1801
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

1100
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

200310
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

20948
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments