Being a teenager is a hot mess of a situation. I wouldn't do it again unless you paid me BIG BUCKS!
I did everything as wrong as possible, And then I grew up.
I still do a lot wrong. But I'm wiser.
Being a teen makes you take chances that can change life forever. Be careful.
Redditor gravemind9 asked:
"What's something you did as a teenager that you look back on and think holy f**k was f**king stupid?"
The stories of my youth could make you faint.
So I'll just listen to yours.
Updates
"Post constant, nonsensical updates to my Facebook wall."
MacSween3382
"There's nobody I have less in common with than the teenage me writing facebook statuses 15 years ago."
professor_dogPotomac never freezes...
"Walking from Virginia to Maryland over the frozen Potomac River on my Sophomore year in high school. I got about half way out and laid down in the ice so that I could see along the bottom of the river. It wasn't until several years later that I heard on the news that the Potomac never freezes over enough for people to walk on it."
Ural_2004
Go Away
"I thought that, if I acted angsty and pushed people away from me, it'd make people want to know more about me and why I was so distant."
"For any current teenagers who didn't already know, this doesn't work. People will just let you be alone, and go find someone who's more friendly to them being around."
CrazyPlato
"One of the greatest examples of 'Real life is soooo different from Movies.'"
ALEISMYNAME
Puff. Puff.
"Smoking. I started smoking at 13. I’m 40 now and can’t stop smoking for anything. If I could go back and do things differently, I would never pick up a cigarette."
ImaginationSad2803
"I started about the same age. I'm sure I quit smoking 100 times before I really made it stick. Most were a day or 3, I got 9 months one time. Eventually I realized that having a cigarette or 5 was no reason to quit quitting, and to just try to make it longer next time, it's fine, just do it again. It's been 8 years now, I finally stopped in my mid 30s."
lurker71539
WHAT?!
"At the age of 15/16ish I travelled to England by myself to meet an internet stranger/lover."
sharkyandro
Shocked Oh No GIF by Yêu LuGiphyKids world traveling? Well that is new.
Skin
"Deciding to not wear sunscreen."
Not_Logan_Paul_
"I wish I'd listened to my mum and worn sun hats when I was younger. I can see the ageing it had caused on my forehead and now I'm in my 40s I wish I'd taken better care of my skin."
lkm81
The Beach Summer GIF by Kel CripeGiphyShoplifted
"I shoplifted a lot, like way too much, i didnt even need the stuff, i just did it."
everythingiwantedwas
"I have a family member that did it… it was as you described. He said it just gave him a high. He eventually ran out of stuff he felt like nabbing and started stealing for people I.e I’ll gank this $17.99 CD for you for $10 etc."
three-sense
The High
"I hung out with a bunch of burnouts who actually were quite tame. Their big thing was climbing on top of buildings. Not breaking in, not property damage, just how can we get to the top of various structures. We were on top of the Junior High which must have set off some silent alarms as cops come roaring up."
"We split up and all managed to get down without one of us getting caught. It would have been tough to explain what we were doing to both the police and then our parents as it was really just dumb."
ekimlive
Speed
"Driving 60+ mph with no headlights at 3am on back roads."
BlankMyName
"I grew up in a county town, and I would sometimes go 120+. Very stupid."
Elmoslightpole
Driving 101 Dalmatians GIFGiphyWow.
Youth is really wasted on the young.
We often look back on our teenage years with mixed emotions.
Our final years where we could enjoy our youth, and live largely without responsibility and just enjoy being a child and all that came with it.
Of course, we might also look back on things we did as teenagers which we are less than proud of today.
Or things we wish someone had told us, so that we may have avoided falling into those unhappy situations.
Redditor notViperX was curious to hear all the things people believed every modern teenager needs to know, leading them to ask:
"Adults of Reddit, what is something every Teenager needs to know?"
No Means No!
"It's ok to say no to anyone."
"Don't let anyone in your life guilt trip you into doing something you don't want to do or are uncomfortable with."- Purpleraven01
What Constitutes Being "Cool" Is Debatable...
"It's exactly as lame to not do something you want to do because it's too mainstream or popular as it is to do something only because it's cool and the cool kids are doing it."- itsacalamity
Pay Attention in Gym And Spanish Class!
"Learn a second language."
"It's good for your brain, and it's a lot easier when you're young."
"Get active and fit; make it a habit."
"This is one of the most important ways to stave off cognitive decline as you get older."
"Plus, it's great for managing mental health during the transition to adulthood."- HappyHappyKidney
will ferrell anchorman GIFGiphyPut Those Pennies In The Bank!
"Start trying to save money now."
"You will definitely thank yourself later on."- Lastnight97
Sometimes Being Wrong Is The Only Way To Learn You're Right
"Failing is okay."- 2Graves1Ashe
People Are Always Willing To Help!
"When you make a mistake, own up to it."
"People are more willing to help you when you admit you did a dumb thing."
"This goes for school, work, and personal life."
"Forget to make a payment on a loan?"
"Call and talk to the finance company."
"Mess something up on a school project?"
"Tell your teacher and ask for a bit of leeway, Etc."
"People will be more likely to help you if you communicate."
"Start your retirement fund as early as possible."
"Doesn’t matter if you can only afford $5 a week, it’s still $5 more than you would have had otherwise."
"It WILL add up and you’ll thank yourself later."- GreenOnionCrusader
help me 80s GIFGiphyFollow Your Dream, But Have A Safety Net
"Get a marketable skill, unskilled labor sucks."
"You need something that’s going to pay you, it doesn’t have to be your life’s passion, contrary to what my peers were saying at that age, but you do need to be able to tolerate it."-sweetperdition
"If you don't have a passion, learn new skills."
"You might find your passion or something you're good at."- checkmatelocked
Better Safe Than Sorry
"Cashiers don't care if you buy condoms."- induceddaftfan
Safe Sex Love GIF by DUREXGiphyLooking back at things we wish we knew or had done differently will never end up doing us any good.
But giving this advice to young people could save them a world full of trouble.
Rather than mope about the past, we can help improve the future.
Being a teenager comes with several ups and downs.
Perhaps the biggest downside of one's teenage years, is the looming reality of adulthood being just around the corner.
That the time when you can no longer depend on your parents as a safety net, and must eventually start supporting yourself is fast approaching.
Of course, most teenagers will choose to ignore this reality, and cherish each moment of their vanishing youth.
As a result, they might not react too kindly when being faced with certain information, if they're even willing to hear it.
"What are teens today not ready to hear?"
Adulthood Has A Way Of Sneaking Up On You...
"In 15 years you’re going to think the kids have gone too far and they’re going to think you’re old-fashioned."- neat_machine
Think Carefully About Your Texting Habits
"That d*ck pic you sent, got screenshot and sent to 5 other people."- boxoffingernails
You Will Always Be You
"You won't 'feel' different when you're older, or have kids."
"You'll just be you, it's weird."- Poshspicer
You Won't Always Seem Cool...
"Everything you do as a teenager will be cringe to your children."- divinetrackies
"Your parents were hip and cool before they had to pay your bills and feed you and buy you the cool clothes so you can impress the friends you'll forget about in 10 years."- Azuras_Star8
Be Aware Of Your Surroundings!
"To the ones who ride the public bus in my city, specifically: nobody else wants to hear whatever TikTok you’re watching."
"Buy some headphones."- EmiliusReturns
Don't Underestimate The Importance Of School
"School has a system in place to keep you from falling behind, life doesn’t."- Corey854
It's Worth Waiting For The Right Person
"It’s okay to be a virgin at 18."- projectdissociate
Don't Always Feel Compelled To Provoke
"Being controversial isn't the same as being interesting."- HezFez238
Everybody Makes Mistakes...
"Just because you f*cked up does NOT mean you’re a f*ckup."- Mr_Murder1
It's understandable why teenagers aren't ready to hear any of this information.
Mainly because most of them aren't ready for adulthood, and all it has in store.
Though ten or so years from now, they'll likely be extremely grateful to have been told all of this, as they'll possibly tell their own children...
People make mistakes their whole lives; it's just a fact.
But it's always true that those mistakes happen more often, and usually on a larger scale when you're a teenager.
That's because, once you become a teenager, you feel grown up and invincible, when the truth is, you're still learning, still growing, and still human.
Even the most successful and put-together people can look back on their teen years and cringe at the mistakes they made.
When I was a teenager, I made horrible choices, from stealing my mother's credit card to letting my wild child best friend shear off my hair. At least I learned my lesson!
Curious about mistakes others made in their teen years, a Redditor asked:
"what was your biggest Teenage mistake?"
Some of the responses were wild!
Ouch!
"Doing an unsuccessful backflip on a trampoline"
– TamaraVargasFR
Brush, Brush, Brush Your Teeth
"Not taking better care of my teeth"
– LedTasso69
"Honestly if there are any teenagers in here who don’t understand this yet, please know that your teeth will fall apart if not taken care of properly. You will pay for it and it won’t be fun at all."
– SoothsayerRecompense
If Only You Knew
"Sold $200 worth of Bitcoins to a friend for tickets to a music festival back in 2011."
– Spaceman_Beard
"Now THAT is a worthy regret. I don’t know exactly how much that would be worth now but I’m thinking a minimum a decent 6-figure amount and maybe even as much as 7 figures. Maybe I’m even underestimating it."
– FightPhoe93
The Inevitable Car Stories
"I took my uncle's beautiful restored classic car for a drive when I didn't have a license and got it impounded."
– throwawaysmetoo
"How many fingers of yours did he break?"
– koloros
"I wrecked my cousins new car & didn’t have my license yet."
– Golfnpickle
The One That Got Away
"Not getting the hint that my friend, the beautiful Patricia, wanted to be WAY more than friends."
– dwane1972
"Her name was Kate and 15 years later , I can pin point the exact second I should have kissed her on the beach."
– aussie_nobody
"I did the same mistake, except it was with a Sarah. She was gorgeous and probably well out of my chubby nerd friend zone league, but we shared the same bench in school for five years and knew us quite well. She was at my place once. Spontaneously, it wasn't. It was a mess. She fell back on my bed and said it smelled so good. I thought it was dirty because it was long overdue to change the blankets. I think I ruined my chance right there and then."
"I always wanted to ask her about that time, maybe when we would meet on a class reunion, if the chance would have come up at least, but unfortunately she died last year under unclear circumstances."
– DividedState
Life Of Crime
"I robbed a gas station. ⛽️"
– pauluzu
"How did that go?"
– harlotScarlett
"Considering the gas prices nowadays it's propably like robbing multiple banks"
– LordoftheDimension
We Couldn't Have Been Warned Away
"Marrying my 18-year-old self to a 40-year-old who'd been grooming me for three years, just to spite my mother."
0/10, would not recommend."
– Late_Again68
"I have a friend who did exactly the same thing. But no one could have told her differently. I tried, her family... now she has 5 kids and is recently divorced. At least she got out."
– Decent-Obligation-43
School Is Serious
"Treating highschool as a obligation and not a opportunity. Not just social but economical gains and your own development are way greater effected by how you view your highschool years."
– likea_yeti
"maybe every day or at least every other day i think to my self “i wish i would have taken high school way more seriously, and not just gone through the motions.” This will be a HUGE point of emphasis on my raising my son."
– kingnt3
Be Like The Cool Kids
"Getting addicted to smoking very early"
– SuvenPan
"Same man, I started smoking around 13 and am still trying to quit nicotine now at 25. I can barely run a mile despite being in generally decent shape from a physique and strength perspective, and my resting heart rate is over 100. I know I’ve still got time to undo a lot of the damage, but does it suck to know how deep a hole I’ve dug myself because I wanted to fit it with some “cool” kids and then developed an addiction as a crutch to avoid dealing with my mental health."
– impossiblyirrelevant
Money, Money, Money
"Spending a large inheritance I got when I was 18 in 2009. Could of owned a property outright by now"
– bKingas
"I blew through one at 21 and was kicking myself for years."
– nelsonalgrencametome
"This is why I will make any large inheritance to young family members a trust. You can't spend it all at once and it won't get fully released until 30 when hopefully you've got yourself together."
– passed_turing_test
Those teenage years can be hard. The important thing is, you recognize your mistakes and learn from them.
Do you have similar experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below.
One's teenage years are almost guaranteed to come with ups and downs.
With adulthood fast approaching, many spend those years enjoying their vanishing youth and living life to the fullest.
All the while undergoing significant physical and emotional change.
So, it's natural that everyone looks back on several fond memories of being a teenager, along with things we try to forget, or wish we handled differently.
As a result, we can't help but wish we could go back and give advice to our younger selves.
Redditor alexjuby211 was curious to hear what people believed to be the best advice offered to any teenagers today, leading them to ask:
"What are some great tips for teenagers?"
Don't underestimate a sparkling smile.
"Brush your teeth."
"They may seem fine for a while but It'll catch up to you fast."- DonttouchmethereUwU
Just be yourself!
"The coolest thing you can do is stop trying to be cool."- fortwenie
You have a lot to look forward to.
"Remember that 'right now' is not forever."
"The teenage years are just one small chapter in the book of your life!"- lovealert911
Dawsons Creek Crying Dawson GIF by HULUGiphyRamen will get old very quickly...
"Learn to cook."- Catscratchingcats
Put Yourself First
"Invest in you."
"Not someone else."
"I should clarify."
'I’m not talking about money."
"I’m talking about investing time and energy into yourself."
"Learn and understand yourself."
"Love yourself."
"This is so important for teenagers."
"I’ve been there."
"I know it’s difficult growing up and I can’t imagine how much more difficult it is in the age of social media."
"Your own mental, emotional, and physical health should be at the top of your priority list."- PBandJellyJesus
Chill Reaction GIF by MOST EXPENSIVESTGiphyKeep your friends close
"Figure out who your good friends are and try to keep in contact."- radpandaparty
Don't enable bullies.
"Stand up to bullies."
"Even if you’re not the one being picked on."
"I regret not doing more for kids that really struggled in school."
'Reading Reddit posts made me realize how terrible school can be when you’re alone or bullied.'- knovit
Be open, but selective.
"Say no to peer pressure but say yes to more experiences."- Becauseitstuesday
Do It Life GIF by Denyse®GiphyTake it in stride
"Don't be afraid of rejection."
"Take it in stride and keep on trying."
"Don't be like me and intentionally emotionally cripple yourself for life."- Picard2331
All teenagers are bound to make some mistakes that they will regret five or so years later.
Which might even include not listening to their elders.
Any other tips to share? Let us know in the comments below?