What would your 16 year old self think of you?

[sunnysally]

I was watching the birds and squirrels in my backyard this morning and I thought about how my 16 year old self would think I was boring.

I think she would be surprised at how much weight I've gained and would be shocked that I'm ok with it. She'd be disappointed in how "old" I've become; I rarely go to concerts, prefer not to go out on Fridays or "school" nights, rarely stay up all night, and would rather have friends over than go out.

She wouldn't understand the career I'm in because I didn't know it was a thing, but she'd understand it is adjacent to what we had planned and be happy with where I am and what I'm doing.

She'd be thrilled at the amount of traveling I've done and adventures I'd had but would be surprised by the places I haven't yet visited. Many European countries were at the top of my list but I've decided to visit when I am older because they are easier than what I'm doing now.

She'd be pleased with H, although he isn't the type of guy that was "hot" in my teen years, he is an excellent, supportive partner and we've built a great life together.

She would be a little disappointed in how practical I am.

She wouldn't be surprised that I still love to read and have 2 cats.

Please share yours!

[wanderingback]

I have no clue as I’ve never really been a huge planner so I don’t think I had any concept of what "adult" me would look like at 16. I mean, even 5-8 years ago I had no concept of what I would want now haha.

The main thing I can think of is that I’ve definitely always been a city person even though I grew up in the suburbs, so 16 year old me would be very happy that I live in a huge city right in the middle of the action where there is always something going on/to do.

[stemmie]

She'd finally understand the importance of sunscreen.

[blondemoment123]

TW: ED

She'd be proud that I overcame my ED and thrived!

She'd also be shocked that I'm a mom.

She'd finally realize that her moms insecurities have nothing to do with her.

[trytobearunner34]

Timely post as I just journaled on this topic recently.

She would be surprised at how valuable and central our faith has become to our life.

She would be perplexed that we ended up as a divorcing mother of an only child. I (until this year) continued to be naive about relationships and always held hope people would become the “best” version of themselves. Also, I always saw a big family in my future and was utterly clueless about infertility at 16.

She would be pleased with where our career landed and the other facets of our life.

[cville]

She'd be proud of me for sticking to my solemn vow to allow my children to pick whatever colors they want for their rooms and never, ever, ever to apply a wallpaper border anywhere.

[dancingnancy]

16 yo me would be pretty shocked that I was spending my 50th birthday going to see Pearl Jam. I thought 50 was so old back then!!

[mrsukyankee]

She'd be amazed and thrilled that I live overseas, not shocked that I work as a counsellor but she'd think I was far too unfit and fat and would yell at me for that. She'd be happy that I never had children (she didn't want any) and surprised that I got married at all (didn't see the point at 16). 16 yr old me would be happy that I have had several dogs and have one now.

[underwaterrhymes]

She would be happy my parents are sober, but dismayed that it took as long as it did.

She would greatly approve of my choice in a life partner and be delighted by our children.

She would be so happy that I have traveled and explored and lived as many places as I have.

She would, though, be worried by all of the health issues I have had over the years, but be relieved that everything is going okay despite them.

She would be shocked by how little TV I watch and sad that soap operas have largely disappeared. 🤣

[lilypad1126]

She’d probably be very happy with the career I fell into. It’s not what I went school for, exactly, but a much better fit than a traditional career would have been.

She’d be glad I don’t have kids. 16 year old me knew she didn’t want to be a mom, so she’d be proud and happy I stuck to my guns.

She’d be a little perplexed, but otherwise happy, with H. He’s not who I envisioned for myself, until suddenly he was, lol.

She’d be shocked at how much I enjoy exercising and running. Back then she thought we were allergic to exercise.

[abs]

Mostly 16 year old me would be shocked that I hate talking on the phone as much as I do now!

[deadwing]

She would be shocked that I haven't ridden horses in close to 20 years and that I've turned into a dog person. I found the texture of dog fur very off putting for a long time. I've lucked into some unusually soft dogs.

I changed alot around 17 and I'm having a hard time connecting with who I was before that. I other ways. Animals have always been a constant for me, though.

[leahcar]

My 16 yo self would be shocked at how life turned out.

I am in a totally different career field than what I planned. I really wish my younger self would have known I’d be in tech one day while I was hating math class!

I really never imagined living in TX- or surburbia- but here we are.

I only wanted kids in a “that’s what people do” way. So my teenage self would be shocked at both how many kids I have and how much life revolves around them.

Honestly, life is so very different than even 10 years ago.

[katfco]

My 16-year-old self was secretly struggling with depression, a suicide obsession and had no social skills. (I only figured out in recent years that I'm likely on the spectrum)

She would be happy I'm not only alive, but happy to be so, and that I've finally figured out how to exist and thrive in a world with other people. I have hope and a sense of self-worth she never had.

[meganew]

This is actually a game I play sometimes as a way to put things into perspective. I pretend that I’m my 15 year old self looking through my eyes, like I just time traveled into this body. And then I walk through my day and see things from her perspective. As a kid whose mom was all over the place and had to be raised by grandparents, I can’t believe that I own this house, that I have this family and these children, that we’re stable and happy and have a good foundation of friends. I live in an area with a wide range of socio-economic classes, and it can be tempting to compare myself to those who might be more successful or have bigger houses, more money, whatever- but this is a good way to remember that I am doing so, so much better than I ever could have thought possible.

[Deleted]

She’d think I’m a badass. And she’d be right.

[wildrice]

I think I am actually far more similar to my 16 year old self than I am to who I was at 26, so I think she would recognize the type of person I am and share many of my interests. I think my life has far surpassed her wildest dreams, too - but I never was much of a dreamer or had high expectations of my future. I never thought I would have traveled as much as I have, that I would have the disposable income to allow me to do so many things I enjoy. She would be surprised to hear how many of her favorite bands I finally got to see live in my 30s and 40s, too.

I did not expect to find someone to marry, and I never would have pictured working in HR or living on the east coast. I think she would be disappointed I never managed to live in Chicago and that I don't live near my family (me too, kid) but would be pleasantly surprised at how cool the place I live ended up being. She would be surprised that I spent 10 years of my adulthood in Iowa though, lol. And that I had been divorced.

She would be so glad that I have a dog and no kids. I don't think I was set on being child free back then, but also never really dreamed of being mom so she would probably be relieved that things didn't work out that way.

I think she would be shocked at my weight and how silly she was to think she was fat. And maybe shocked that after a long hiatus I am back to primarily wearing the same types of jeans and t shirts that I wore back then. Oh and she would be shocked that I was ok wearing shorts on our thick legs, lol. High school me would never let anyone know our legs weren't slender!

Overall I think she would be proud of me. I wish I could go back and help her make some better choices as she continued into adulthood and saved her a lot of coming heartache, but if she knew it would all turn out ok maybe that would be enough.

[Nonny]

She'd be shocked at our weight gain, and how many injuries we've sustained and illnesses we'd had over the years, but be thrilled our migraines are largely under control. She would not be shocked that we've had three wrist surgeries though.

She'd be sad and confused that it's our mom who died first and our dad is bumbling along (because this confuses me too, now).

She'd be surprised we're now closer to our sister and have a wonderful relationship with our BIL, and basically don't speak to our brother.

She'd be absolutely delighted by the career we had, and even more delighted that we were able to retire early (and probably a little shocked that we've been with the same man for 26 years when we didn't have a high school boyfriend).

She'd be unsurprised we still love cats, and that I'm still sad about losing my old lady 3 years ago.

She'd be delighted by all the travel we've done, but disappointed to learn we still get horrifically motion sick and also can't sleep on airplanes.

She'd be disappointed by how few earrings I wear these days.

She'd be happy that I'm still childfree by choice and the cool auntie to my BFF's kids, but would be surprised by who that BFF is.

[sproctopus]

She'd be shocked that I was alive after all the dumb shit she was doing for fun at 16.

[mommyatty]

She would be absolutely gobsmacked that things have turned out as well as they have. At 16, I joked that I would be divorced 3 times minimum. I never thought I would make nearly the kind of money that I do or that I would get married at 23 and have stayed married to the same guy for 27 years. She would be horrified by how fat I am (I’m right on the edge between normal and overweight, whereas at 16 I was not healthy. I was appallingly thin.) and that I’m actually perfectly okay with it.

She would be proud that I’m not like my mom. That I parent completely differently. She would adore my daughter and think my son is hilarious. She would be awed that I’m NC with my family. That I was finally that brave. She would also be shocked at how politically liberal I am, especially considering my Southern Baptist, conservative upbringing. She would be unsurprised that I’m completely irreligious. And completely happy to know my BFFs are the same people they were then.

[TR]

Hmmm, I was a really young 16. I had just gotten my first period and hadn’t even kissed a boy yet. After the many awkward years I had, I think she would be surprised that we ended up fairly pretty and that someday boys would like her I think she’d be shocked at how much money we make/have and that she’d get married, fuck that up and get divorced, and then remarry. She be very surprised that we don’t have kids. She wouldn’t be surprised that reading is our #1 hobby, but would be surprised that we mostly like working out lol she’d be very disappointed that our boobs never got bigger than an A cup and that it wouldn’t always be effortless to be thin.

[icedcoffee]

She’d be happy to know that I did indeed meet a husband and have kids.

She’d be tickled pink to know that I not only have 1 beagle, but two.

She’d be super proud to know that I have a good career.

She’d be sad to know the road wasn’t always easy, but delighted to know it was worth it.

She’d probably pass out knowing I’m a boy mom.

She’d be pleased. I wish someone had slapped that 16 year old and told her to stop worrying. I wish I could tell that 16 year old she is worth more than the asshole who dumped her because he’s a moron and karma is indeed a thing.

She would be blow away to know that she ran a half marathon after never being able to complete the mile run at school. (Also fuck those gym teachers)

[TR]

Oh and she would be absolutely GOBSMACKED that she turned into a liberal, pro-choice Democrat who had sex before she got married lol

[mrsslocombe]

She’d be surprised that I lived in NYC my entire adult life, that wasn’t even a thought back then.

She’d be shocked that I eat just about anything-growing up in rural PA the food options were…not diverse.

She’d probably die of shock that I became a long distance runner since 16 year old me barely exercised. Also about that fact that her grades and college degree have not mattered a single fuck ever since the day she graduated college.

She’d be relieved about how few fucks I give about most things and how I don’t stress out about small things any more or what people think of me.

Overall I think she’d be impressed that I’m happily married, financially secure, and work a badass job where most coworkers tell me I’m the best boss they’ve ever had.

[sandandsea]

She wouldn’t be surprised with my family and career but would be shocked at my self confidence and success. She be happy to know just exactly how well some of our plans have worked out for us and how good our dreams were for us. Hopefully she’d appreciate her body more just as it is and worry less as that took me a long time to realize.

[laterz]

My 16yo self has no business making any judgements about anything. She is stupid and immature, and we don't trust or care about what she thinks. We are happy that we learned and grew out of that phase.

[katfco]

Aug 31, 2024 16:44:24 GMT -5 TR said:

Oh and she would be absolutely GOBSMACKED that she turned into a liberal, pro-choice Democrat who had sex before she got married lol

After I posted it occurred to me that my 16-y-o self would be shocked at my being a pro-choice, LGBTQ+ ally who managed to even get a date, let alone get married! (even though the date still took 2 more years)

[sdlaura]

I was going to be a career woman who wasn’t married and had no kids and wore fancy clothes

I ended up as a married career woman with four kids. The number of kids part was a total surprise to even my 30-year-old self. Turned out that having trouble having kids, ending a pregnancy for medical reasons at 21 weeks, and our second kid needing open heart surgery as a baby, plus how much I really enjoyed my kids, meant we realized how important they were to us.

Also 16-year-old self really wanted to travel a lot and end up living far from home, and she’d be excited that I am doing both of those things.

[jobae1234]

She would be thrilled with how our life turned out.

I’m happily married which felt impossible to achieve after my parents’ brutal divorce. My career is fantastic, exactly what I want, and I’ve doubled my earning goal (yes I had a lifetime earning goal at 16, nerd). I always wanted a terminal degree and I have one. Probably surprised to just have one kid, and stepkids.

I have all the stability and success in my own home life that I yearned for, and was so jealous of in my friends’ families. I’m the house that the local divorced kids come to when their mom can’t do it all, whereas as a kid I was the kid always being pawned off on neighbors. I cherish the chance to pay it forward.

I don’t take all I’ve built for granted for a single day.

[mrspez07]

She wouldn’t be very surprised by my life, very typical of what was expected.
She’d think I look old.
She’d be impressed with where I’ve traveled
She’d be annoyed that my kids are going to a rival high school.