Top 10 Things I Don't Want to Forget When I Grow Up
By Roe, age 17, Oman
Just how many times has it happened with us that, after a particularly bad fight with your mom, or a "Dad-will-never-understand-me" episode, we think: This is it. This is the last straw. There's a lot of jaw-clenching and anger, and if you have a temper, then maybe even some wall-punching or deodorant-flinging-across-the-room (it actually helps, I've tried!). And yet, after it all subsides and the 'foam on top' dies down, we think of it from a serious angle. I admit, more often than not it's our fault, but when it's not, then we have this strange sadness. And - at least in me - this leads to strong resolutions.If you've read my previous article, "Seventeen and Engaged" (SDM, Sep '11), you'll know that I got engaged last summer. Although I'm finishing senior year, I've started to think of my future lately. Kind of natural, I suppose. So one day, I got thinking: don't our parents remember what it was like to be our age? Did they not go through similar thoughts of rebellion and frustration? And then I had this brilliant idea. I wrote a letter to a future me, in the hope that one day, when I'm a harried mother of thirty-something, and I chance upon this article of mine, I can remember.
These are the things I want to make sure I remember:
1. I will never give up writing. I will write as much as I can in whatever time I have. If I can't do market research, I will write a diary every single day in great detail on my laptop.
2. I will never take out frustration from one thing on another.
3. I will always love junk food, specially chips and chocolates.
4. I will watch movies at night with junk food and popcorn for the rest of my life.
5. I will admit my mistakes when someone points them out, even if he/she is being annoyingly smug.
6. I will never call my children fat - especially when he/she really is.
7. I will never tell anyone that I don't like the food they have cooked. I will secretly wake up in the night and fix myself a sandwich, or I will TALK IT OUT.
8. I will never be afraid to apologize, especially to people younger than me.
9. I will never nag. Even if I think I deserve to and am crazily frustrated, chances are that the other person is even more exhausted than I am. I will always approach things the right way.
10. I will tell the people I love that I love them - while I can.
So is there something you're afraid to forget? Write it down, fellow writers! The pen is a powerful tool. Utilize it!
