Ugh. High School. Post #3

Yea I know. I'm like super late on posting this. But whatevs.

Intro
Ugh. High School. Post #1
Ugh. High School. Post #2

This goes out to the rising ninth graders. The freshmen. The freshies. The freshmeat. The newbies. I could go on. And on. And on.

My first day of high school seemed like ages ago. I remember going to open house and leaving thinking I'd know where everything was. Then add approximately 1,100 more people in the hallways, guys who had deeper voices than Darth Vader, and girls with bigger boobs than all of the freshmen combined. Yea. It was a little difficult.

I was late for my biology class. (One that was filled with ALL upperclassmen except for three people. Can you say embarrassing?) I wandered the lunch room aimlessly trying to find my friends for a solid two minutes. Doesn't seem like much, but it was. I walked to each class like a total dweeb with my schedule in hand, the universal sign of a freshmen.

When I entered high school I was all like, "Bro. There's no drinking or partying or sex or drugs or bad things. High school is going to be totally cool, bro." (If you didn't read that in a hippy's voice then read it again.) But I was wrong. Don't get sucked in. Know it's happening. Be a good friend to the friends who are engaging in said illegal things. Just don't become one of them.

Them being the good kids. The kids who were smart. The kids who were strong in athletics. The kids who wanted to be nurses and lawyers and president. And then they started sliding down the hill. A hill that was built on good grades and supportive parents and a clear and bright future.

A couple sips. A pack of cigarettes. One party. That's all it takes before you lose your grip and start sliding. It may seem like a bright area to travel down at the time, but it'll come back to you. I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy yourself every once in a while, but be conscious of what you're doing and know when you need to stop. Set boundaries with your friends, with your parents, and with yourself.

If any parents are reading this, I've got some words of wisdom to share from my mom to you. I remember in seventh grade I went to my first "sketchy" party. My mom had heard me talk about the girl hosting the party, but she had never met her parents or the girl herself. After much pleading and promising, my mom allowed me to go and I will ALWAYS remember what she told me as I got out of the car.

"I know you're a good kid. I know you make good choices, but things happen. If somethings going on you don't like, if you want to leave early, if you get uncomfortable, you can call. I won't ask any questions, I'll just take you home. When you start driving and you take yourself to parties, the offer still stands. If you're uncomfortable driving home, if you know you're not capable of driving home, call. No questions asked. Just remember, you can always call."

Now, no worries, there was nothing illegal going on at that middle school party, but it brought me to a wonderful revelation.

I could call.

It grew our trust and although I've never used the offer, I've come pretty close. It's a beautiful thing to offer your children. You'll probably get a, "Mom, it'll be fine." or "Mom, no need to worry.", but that statement will stick with them, trust me.

Back to my freshmen.

Don't do anything ridiculously stupid, especially your freshmen year. I know a girl who was a senior my freshman year, who did something very foolish and naive when she was in 9th grade ( I'd rather not go into detail) and yet they were STILL talking about it my freshman year. Four freaking years later and the tale lived on. Moral here is, please, don't do anything stupid.

Also, if you ask for directions and somebody tells you it's up three flights of stairs, next to the pool and the stairway to the roof, they're probably lying. Unless your school has three flights of stairs, a pool, and a student accessible roof. But I still wouldn't take their word for it.

Have a fabulous day.


Want to continue on with the series?
Ugh. High School. Post #4