Posted on November 8, 2011 - by Shannon Vannatter
A Letter to My Teenage Self from Shannon
Dear Teenage Shannon,
Be yourself. Stop trying to mimic others. They’re not any cooler than you are, so stop feeling bad about yourself. God made you the individual you are.
Don’t worry so much about what others think of you. Your audience is an audience of one. It only matters what God thinks of you.
You don’t have to dress immodestly to get the boys’ attention. They’ll notice, no matter what you wear. And if it takes immodest clothing to attract him, he’s not the kind of boy you need. (Your parents won’t allow it anyway, thank goodness.)
Stop being embarrassed by your parents. Some day, you’ll be in their shoes and realize how wise they are. And how much they love you.
Start an exercise program now. That way, it’s second nature and when you’re older, it will already be part of your routine.
Don’t go to cosmetology school. You’ll only waste your parents’ money and get stuck doing your mother’s hair for life. Hairdressing isn’t glamorous. It’s hard, nasty, and exhausting. Stick with your first instinct: computers.
Even better—they’re books. Those stories in your head that you never know what to do with. Don’t wait until you’re thirty-three to figure that out.
The move to rural Arkansas. Stop fighting it. Embrace your new home. You’ll grow to love it, never, ever want to live anywhere near a city again, and meet the love of your life there.
In fact, you’ve already met him. That new boy that lights your fire–the rumors are true–but be patient, God is working on him.
Pay more attention to young boys. Someday you’ll have one. The things he does and dirt he can find will astound you.
Always remember. No matter what happens or what life throws at you, you’ve got Jesus to get you through.
11 Comments
We'd love to hear yours!
White Pearls by Shannon Taylor Vannatter
Shell doesn't have a good reputation...But no matter what everyone in Rose Bud, Arkansas, thinks of her, she's back in town with a job to do. She'll stick it out and make the best of things. But why does Ryler have to be the landscaper on this project? She was just getting her heart under control. Ryler has his own reasons for being in Rose Bud, and they don't include Shell. Spying on his birth family was going to be hard enough. He doesn't have time to worry about a woman who dumped him...even if his heart says otherwise. McKenzie’s Branson Brainteaser by Shari Barr
McKenzie and Sydney meet in Branson, Missouri, where McKenzie has been recruited to help at the Dixie Stampede. While the girls take in the sights and sounds of Silver Dollar City, they become involved in a search to find a teen girl’s long lost uncle–who is rumored to have settled near the Branson area. With no clue other than a whittled necklace with an “SS” on the back, how will they ever reunite Shara with her uncle? The Camp Club girls are on the case, and they’re not about to give up until they close the gap and reconnect Shara’s family.
The Prodigal Daughter by Linda Fulkerson
Ruled by despair, remorse, and anger, the author’s life had become a classic rendition of the cliché “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” Desperate. Overwhelmed. Isolated. Trapped. She hit bottom.
On the elevator of life, those descending will all exit on different levels–some much lower than others. You don’t have to go all the way to the bottom. Stop now and push the “up” button. This book will show you how!
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Dawn Ford said:
Oh those teenage years with the insecurity and the boy drama. I think we all have that in common. So glad God grows us into women He can be proud of. Even if it does take us until our thirties (I was thirty five) to figure out what we want to do.
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Brenda Anderson said:
Nicely done, Shannon. Wouldn’t it have been nice if we had that wisdom and foresight when we were teens? I suppose we had to learn it by experience so we could pass our wisdom on to our children. Hopefully, they’ll listen.
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Shannon Taylor Vannatter said:
Dawn,
I definitely wouldn’t want to relive those years. Ugh! I look back now and wonder why everything was such a BIG deal.
Brenda,
I feel so for teens. It’s just an awful stage of life.
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Shari Barr said:
Isn’t it amazing that when we were kids we did’t realize everyone else was going through the same stuff. Only as adults do we realize we all felt the same way. We all had the same drama.
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Kav said:
Wonderful! I’ve often thought how great it would be to go back in time BUT keep all the wisdom gained over the years! LOL, but since we are who we are I bet we’d still have make the same mistakes all over again!
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Regina Merrick said:
Honestly, I had forgotten how dramatic teen years can be until my youngest hit her teens. I think I’ve just blocked out my oldest . . . lol
Well done, my friend!! Wouldn’t it be interesting to see what we’d all think of one another had we met way back then?
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Lorna said:
I should have added that exercise routine idea to my letter!
I love the part about the rumors being true, but God working on him. Can you imagine how different your life would have been if you hadn’t stuck with Grant?
If only we could help young women realize some of these things, but I guess they’ll have to discover them on their own–just as we have.
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Glenda Knapp Parker said:
I really enjoyed your post. It was very thought provoking. I’m sixty five and I’m not sure what I would tell my teenage self. It would be so easy to scare the daylights out of me. I think that is why God doesn’t tell us our future. I made big mistakes but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t be the person I am. I guess I still need to think on it. Thank you again.
Glenda Parker
http://glendaparkerfictionwriter.blogspot.com
Visit My Website
November 8, 2011
Permalink
Marianne said:
i am enjoying your letters…not sure what i would tell my teen self.
Visit My Website
November 9, 2011
Permalink
Stephanie Ludwig said:
I like the one about being yourself… even when you think you’re being yourself as a teenager, you’re still trying to fit in and be “normal.” Even though most of us, especially writers, are anything but normal!
Visit My Website
November 9, 2011
Permalink
Shannon Taylor Vannatter said:
Hey all,
I had a speaking engagement yesterday and had to cut out early.
Shari,
Yes, even the ones who seemed to want to make our drama worse were going through it. Oh hindsight.
Kav,
If only it worked like that. Kind of like, it would be cool if we didn’t have to go through all the parenting and then one day we just had a sensible 35 year old son. I’ve wished that.
Regina,
Oh great. Thanks for reminding me I get to do it again, only from boy perspective this time.
Lorna,
No. I totally can’t imagine my life without Grant. Don’t want to.
Back when we worked with youth, everything we said seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
Hey Glenda,
Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes we could have scared the daylights out of our younger selves. Definitely.
Marianne,
I had to think on it awhile.
Stephanie,
What is normal anyway? I’m so glad I hang with writer friends and we’re all okay with hearing voices.