A Tag? A Tag? Yep...I've been TAGGED!!!

Well, wildtomato from Spindles and Spices tagged me. I discovered I had been tagged last night, when I was finally able to turn on my computer. However, this is one I had to 'sleep on' to come up with the goods for this meme.

The Assignment: Write a letter to your thirteen-year-old self. I'm also supposed to tag five other people. After I get through this thing, I'll see how many people I can bring myself to tag.

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Dear 13-year-old Leann,

Pick up a book, dammit! Stop worrying about those people in your class and 'who told who what.' You are in a G.A.T.E. program and you do fit in here. Stop feeling like an outcast and step up to the plate. You belong here, just as much as anyone else. You've been given a great opportunity, but it does not mean you won't have to work hard for it.

Nothing will be handed to you, just as nothing is handed to anyone else in your class. They go home and do their homework and that is the key factor in what makes you different from them. That's it. Right now, they are probably not really any smarter than you are. In a year or two, however, they will blow you out of the water with their knowledge.

Next year, you'll be in high school. Stop trying to 'fit in' and 'look cool.' It doesn't matter how hard you try with your hair and makeup. You'll still look back on yourself and roll your eyes and say, "What was I thinking???" when you look at the pictures of yourself right now. So, you might as well apply yourself in more productive ways. In fact, the harder you try to look good, the more you regret it later. And boys don't care what you're doing. You would be so much better off having them as friends right now, anyway. A thirteen-year-old boy is certainly nothing to cry over, so KNOCK IT OFF!!!

You shouldn't feel a lot of pressure to succeed, however. Even though you blew it with the homework and the studies, you can still have a pretty good life. But, it didn't need to be this hard. Having a great education doesn't necessarily make you any better at being a parent. The ability to read and a whole lot of common sense will get you far when it comes to raising kids. However, a good education typically makes it a whole lot easier to pay the bills.

Finally, dance whenever you can. Dance in your bedroom. Learn to shake those hips, even though you will not actually have hips until you, yourself, have kids. You will be shaped like a 13-year-old boy until you have children. And that's okay. You are who you are and stop having such a complex about being the shortest and the thinnest. Insecurity comes in all different shapes and sizes, which pretty much evens out the playing field. So, stop worrying about things you cannot change and just enjoy your youth....just as soon as you've finished your homework.

Sincerely,

If I were your mother, I'd slap you!

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Okay, so I'm now supposed to tag five people.

Here goes:

1. Jessie from I am David's Doll

2. Stephanie from SJSFalter+

3. Mrs. Flinger

4. bugsmombrie

5. Crabmommy

I would be fascinated to see what all of you would say to your 13-year-old selves. Please let me know if you should choose to play along. That will be one post I will not miss. However, if you prefer to ignore this tag, that's okay too. I'm a big girl!