What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Having confidence was my problem. My d and gd were much the same in there teens. I can remember being anxious over lots of things and I think when I look back it was just silly teen things which at the time felt important. Now I wish I had a crystal ball at times, and then again not sure if that’s a good idea really.

I would tell myself to respect my parents more because all their rules were there because they cared about me and not just to stop me having fun. I would also say, it doesn't matter if you don't have a boyfriend for ages and, definitely, marry the man you can't live without rather than the one you can live with!!

Don't get pregnant and don't marry because your family think its the thing to do. How times have changed.

I would tell myself to stop feeling afraid, shameful and guilty and that everything would work out in the end.

My message would be don't get married or have a child so young. Enjoy your job, spread your wings a bit, enjoy meeting more people etc. I've been lucky I married a good man and w've been together 50 years but sometimes wish I hadn't settled down so soon.

JackyB
Yes, bottled water and property! ( investing in.)

To have more confidence and not take everyone at face value . Invest in property

Don't marry to get out of your family home
Don't stay with husband if it isn't working
Put husband in home when dementia diagnosed
Don't have your child taken away before birth just cos your
mum says
Don't let your children put you down continually
Remember you are an intelligent lovely woman who has now got terrible anxiety and panic.
Don't let family drive your friends away
Don't end up totally alone with no children keeping in touch after all friends driven away
Don't marry have children
Get out of this world as soon as possible. Unfortunately I have done all above and bit late to end it

I did study, I did get a degree and a career but if I could have changed one thing it would have been to be far more confident and not allow myself to be knocked down by people whom I now know did not know what they were talking about

Work harder at maths and Latin both of which I hated and failed but would like to be better at now! Be more confident about my appearance (thought I was ugly but looking at old photos wasn't at all bad -compared with now!)
Think.more carefully about my career. And that it's ok to change career if it doesn't suit you.( Never really enjoyed working.)
I'd like to give advice about love but was so lucky - had no idea what I was doing but picked a good'un almost by mistake and still happily married nearly 50 years later.

Oops a daisy, I used to work in the Court Service-last century of course!-and we never used to "force" folks to do jury service so it's worth asking to be permanently excused.
If I were asked now it would ask to be excused on 3 grounds, I can't hear clearly
I have the attention span of a goldfish
I WILL fall asleep-no contempt of Court intended.

Oh Marnie sending you many many virtual hugs! I get where you are coming from, and a lot of what you would say, I too would say to my teenage self. But I would also say:
Celebrate that you had SEVEN Valentines Day cards when you were 16!
Believe the people who told you that you had beautiful skin.
Leave home, yes, as soon as you can! But not to get married. Get into Nursing School, or Teachers College, and make a career.
And believe that in spite of what you were told, you are smart, beautiful and talented.

nannam no Valentine's at 16.
Sweet sixteen and never been kissed was me

Believe in yourself.
Have the courage to be yourself and not the person your parents think you ought to be.
Remember that wearing thick glasses and having curly ginger hair does not necessarily make you unlovable.

Never let a kiss fool you, or a fool kiss you !!

Hugs from me too Marnie that was sad. Wish I could help

I would tell myself that my parents were NOT always right, and to go into teaching as I had always wanted.
On the other hand, I would never have met my wonderful DH, so "swings and roundabouts"...

I would tell my teenage self to not start smoking. I started when I was sixteen and found it so difficult to stop for many years. Been diagnosed with COPD and although its mild,it does affect my breathing. (However I did stop smoking eleven years ago.)

Nothing at all.
I had a fabulous time with a job I loved and two other p/t holiday jobs which meant lots of money to spend on clothes, ice-skating, 10 pin bowling, clubbing etc. Mind you that was after dad died when I was just 17. Before that he wouldn't let me date. I could only go to friend's houses locally and had to be in by 10.30.
In those days (late 60s) lads/men paid for everything and nearly all the ones I knew had cars or motorbikes so we were able to go further afield en masse.
I was engaged twice before I met my now ex when I was 23.
Although certainly not pretty, I was reasonably attractive and had masses of boyfriends...always at arms length. ?

I would tell myself "go for it" whatever it may be.

I would only change 1 thing, but it would have made such a difference.

When I was 15 and in 4th year at High School, actually top of the year after term 2 results, I applied for an advertised job as a Bank Apprentice, had the interview, passed the Bank's entrance exam with flying colours. and started work after Easter. Normally my parent's would have insisted I stay on at school but my DM had just given up work through ill health, the family was struggling financially, the salary was good and I promised to continue studying at night school. One or two of my teachers tried to persuade me not to leave. My French Teacher even went to the Rector to protest to no avail as the Rector and Bank Manager were best buddies since schooldays.

All good until September when the other (male 2nd year) Apprentice in the Branch offered me a lift to the college each week for day release for Bankers Exams. I had no notice of this so asked to see the Manager who 'reassured' me that I need not worry about this, that being a girl I did not need to take exams and was not an Apprentice but rather a Probationary Clerkess and that if I was keen for further study I should perhaps study shorthand and typing in the evenings.

My parents were nonplussed, but reassured that my salary was still the same as advertised. did not want me to 'make a fuss'When I checked my letter of appointment it merely said that the Bank was pleased to offer me 'a position' in the Branch.

With hindsight, I should have stood my ground, insisted on a proper apprenticeship, involved the Union, though I doubt I would have got anywhere and really needed the salary which had risen on my 16th Birthday. Instead I resolved to take my O & H levels + shorthand and typing at night school (signed up for 5 nights a week but rotated a 'night off' from 1 class per week) while I saved up to fund a career change.

Didn't work out like that though. I met the love of my life, was moved to a 3 staff sub-office at 18 as a senior clerkess, got 2 big above salary responsibility payments, married at 19 so became 'temporary staff' and left at 23 to have my 1st baby, no Annual Bonus, no maternity leave, no pension, no staff mortgage, would not re-employ me later as 'women with children were unreliable'.

I would tell myself to go to the grammar school i passed my 11 plus for, but chose to go to a secondary school, and have a career, also not to get married at 17, when it all started going wrong

Hmmmm.....I'd tell my teenage self "you won't believe this, but when you get into your sixties you'll realise that you still mostly think the way you did when you were sixteen - and STILL make the same bluddy mistakes!"

I do wish I had stood up to my father when he told me the nursing career I wanted to follow was not for me at at 16 I did not have the confidence to stand up to him.
I ended up working for the then GPO as a trainee telephonist which I did for 2 yrs before going to a private company on their switchboard,here I met my future hubby and got married at 21 my first child arrived when I was 22 so my career ended with that company.

Oh Glammanana, anybody reading your post will think that it’s me. But I did love the PMBX boards didn’t you?