Dear girls and dear boys,

You've started dating younger and younger now. You're growing up before your time. You're thirteen trying to skip dinner to fit into your Forever 21 dress. You're fifteen and trying to smoke weed, just because you'll get called a "pussy" for saying no. Adulthood seems so glamorous, we know. We were once you. We thought acting older than we really were was going to somehow put us a step ahead of everyone. But ask anyone 21 or older, and we'll tell you the exact same thing. We wish we could be your age again. So many of us would give anything to be you, just like you right now, would give anything to be us. But, it's not worth it. It's not worth losing your childhood. It's not worth losing your innocence. Adulthood is harsh, it's unrelenting, and it's nothing like you may think it is.

So slow down. Ride bikes with your friends around the neighborhood. Put down your iPhone, and play a board game with your parents. But most of all, take in your surroundings. You'll blink once and you'll be in my shoes...advising another teen to slow down.

Sincerely,

' Generation Then'

~V.G