Girls,

Whether you're in fifth grade and excited to move into middle school or you're a senior in high school counting down the days until you graduate... slow down, baby girl... you're going to miss the time you have with your friends now, even if there's only a few of them.

If you think of each task in life as an opportunity to be closer to your goal and be bigger and better than you already are... breathe, baby girl... take a second because you're going to miss where you are right now, even if it doesn't feel like it .

If you can't wait to get to high school and take off your silly braces and buy your first padded bra... don't rush, baby girl... you're gonna miss your metal mouth days and the time when you could wear a tank top without a bra at all.

If you think you're going to keep the same friends from high school with you in college and have the chance to see them all of the time... take a minute, baby girl... realistically you might get to see them one or two times a month between college and different work schedules.

Life hits you hard once you're done with high school and I would give anything to go back.

You're going to miss the pep rally's and your favorite teachers, you're going to miss all of the dances and activities you rarely went to.

You're going to miss Taco Tuesdays when your favorite lunch lady hooked it up with extra nachos for you and all your girls.

You say you hate high school when you're in it, that you can't wait to be done and in college... but it will hit you when you're sitting in alphabetical order next to the people you've known since first grade. When you're all dressed up in your caps and gowns looking around for your families and praying you don't trip in front of everyone.

Maybe you graduated a few years back and ever since it was about school and money and moving forward... never looking back.

Life hits you hard after high school, and while it's okay to want to grow up, breathe a little in between.

One day, you're going to miss middle school, your metal mouth, or that annoying girl in your science class.

Regardless of where you are in life right now, just breathe for a minute and appreciate where you are, because, one day you'll look back and wish you were there again.

Just be careful how fast you grow up.