What would you say to your 15 year old self?

[CatherineHMumsnet]

Mumsnet's 15th birthday is fast approaching (what'll we WEAR?). And that put those of us at MNHQ to thinking - if, by the magic of some time travelling device, we could speak to our 15-year-old selves - what words of wisdom would we impart?

[ImTakingTheEssence]

Go home! Your to young to live by yourself. Speak to your mam and be nice to your stepdad hes not the arsehole you think he is.

Put the hairdye down!

Your not fat this is the best you'll ever look

Dont quit your driving lessons at 17 change instructors he was a right knob!

Dont go to college and piss about doing a load of different courses law is not for you.

Stick with your job at the pub but look for other work while your there it really wasnt as bad as you thought.

You have depression you know you do, your not going mad it will rule your life.

Dont turn you back on your pregnant friend you will also go through this yourself and be a single parent.

[FoxyVeganJane]

Pay more off your mortgage and then sell the house when your offered 125,000 and then rent in place we live now. I'd make 15 year old me get it written on my arm in permanant marker. I'd also say, don't ignore me if you do it will all go terribly wrong.

[FoxyVeganJane]

Oh yes I'd tell me to pass my driving test too.

[fattymcfatfat]

dont believe the crap that the boys tell you. they dont love you, dont fall for it! please just go back to school and get the grades you know you are capable of, hes not worth the heartache.

[doeadeerafemaledeer]

Confide in your Father, tell him your mother is Narc. Tell him you are not fed if you are the only one in the house, tell him that after getting the boys up for work she goes back to bed and does not get up to get your breakfast. Tell him there is never anything for breakfast and nothing to make a packed lunch with and no money for a school dinner. He has no idea what is going on when he is not at home.

You are struggling socially as you have Aspergers. You are not good at sport because you have dyspraxia. Your handwriting and reading is awful as you have dyslexia. Get yourself assessed in the support department pronto, it will make life so much easier for yourself.

Organise yourself for school, start to pack your school bag the night before and do your homework the night you get it. Revise for exams if you can. Carry on with the aerobics, it helps your co-ordination.

This is the big one and you won't believe it, but, at the end of this school year, you will get an A in PE in your report, going from a U to an A in a year, that is due to your new found love of fitness. You win the sports award for Female Best Performance In PE. You become the fitness prefect as well, along with the Male Best Performance. This leads me to the next bit.....

Don't go there, don't share a prefect office with him and certainly don't snog "him". It will only lead to a 9 month relationship and years of heartache afterwards. Friend zone him asap. Be the one that got away.

[FoxyVeganJane]

Might also tell me about facebook and look into inventing it or the lottery numbers for an unwon rollover. Or about blogging and look into my food passion and take up veganism sooner and give up gluten before I get really sick and end up extremely hard up.

And that even if I ignore all that I will still be happy, things will still be ok and everything I've got now I appreciate because I realise how fleeting things are because I have a good man and wonderful kids.

[Sneakyweasel]

Don't listen to the mean girls, you are pretty and you're not weird...you have a personality! In 15 years they'll still be stuck in their same sad little lives whereas you'll have moved away, gone to uni, made some amazing friends, travelled and be very happily married to that gorgeous boy you're currently obsessed with and have a beautiful baby girl with him (turns out he liked you to!).

[Magicpinkshadow]

Be confident and assertive and the rest will fall into place.

[ginmakesitallok]

You're doing pretty well. Be a bit nicer to your mum, she's a star and is working her arse off to give you the opportunities she never had. All those boys you think you love?? You don't. You won't understand love until you've met the man who will stand by you, who'll hold your hand when you need him to, who'll support all your decisions, who'll be there for you. But don't stop having fun with the boys you think you love!

Keep going, you'll get there in the end. (Oh and when you learn to drive? Keep an eye out for other cars!)

Love you, me xxx

[mamato3luvleys]

Stop bunking off school and taking acid with them older boys and remember him from down the road? Well your gonna settle down with him and have 3 lovely children!!!

[3gorgeousgirlies]

Don't dye your hair. Work hard at school . Have a bit of a plan. Go travelling and don't say in the office job that you will start in 3 years. Have more confidence. Don't have a boob job, you don't need it. Find some decent friends.

[greendiary]

This year will be tough but you'll get through it. The guy at your work is lovely but it's not your job to fix him. Find a full time job at an oil company - it could open your eyes to your earning potential.

[QueenofLouisiana]

That older man...yes, he'll offer you the world but it comes with a price. Are you willing to conform to the perfect girlfriend role for the next 5 years?

Get your GCSEs sorted, take a chance on the new school and new friends. It will get better!

[Glomerulus]

You're doing great. It might feel like shit right now, but it'll all come good. I promise.

[Threeorangewhips]

Leave the sun - in hair lightner alone. It will make your hair dry like fucking hay.

Stop putting 'hide the blemish ' concealer on your lips... (WTF?!)

Study harder for your G.C.S.E s. You have serious self confidence issues....you are bright ....and you will be ok.

Yes, you were badly bullied by nasty girls at the age of 12, but try and put that behind you and take up that offer of professional counselling.


Wow- I sound like I was fucked up!

[Milkwagon]

1. Go get help and support your mum is very ill.
2. Be kind to yourself.
3. Change to a school that will bring out the best in you because though you're extremely bright they're letting you drift and you need strong direction because you're not getting it at home (see 1.)
4. Don't worry about what others think or what you perceive others think about you.
5. You'll get over Kurt Cobain & River Phoenix.
6. Stick to studying STEM. You'll go far.

[raspberrywhitechocolate]

Hold on tightly, it's not going to get better in the next three years but after that it'll slowly be okay.
Stop thinking you're small and weak. You're just as worthy as any of your friends.
Keep your best friend.
Be nice to your baby sister.

[PomBearWithAnOFRS]

Stay home on 20/09/1985. Do not leave the house after 4pm that day!
And when anyone says "if you loved me you would" reply "if you loved me you wouldn't ask me to"

[Lardylassnomore]

Persevere with science and your dream

[fattymcfatfat]

also... what happened was not your fault. and your "friends" that you told? they are the worthless ones not you. you were just a little girl stop blaming yourself.

[SASASI]

Believe in yourself, don't let anyone make you feel worthless.

Your skin will get better & your early 20's will be wonderful years.

When you get to 30 you will have a really strong sense of self & no one will break you. You will be a happily married mother in a nice house with a good job - everything you've ever wanted.

Enjoy having no responsibilities until then!

[everyusernameisinuse]

Right now you have no friends, are painfully shy and spend all your time studying. You are extremely anxious about exam results and getting a well paid job. Your parents are worried about you. You have no life and never socialise and are probably depressed. This will continue for a few for years.

At 19 you will meet someone at college and fall in love - he will be the complete opposite to you in everyway. The studying will go out the window! You'll spend lots of time in the college bar and hardly go to a lecture!

You will travel the world together and then have children. You will end up in a job that is a lot lower paid than you would have expected - but you will love going into work everyday and it is stress-free. And everyday you come home to two lovely DCs.

So life works out pretty well (if only I had known it would when I was 15)

[MrsSchadenfreude]

You are not fat.
You are not fat.
You are not fat.

Regardless of what your mother says, long hair parted in the middle and hanging like a spaniel's ears is not a flattering look. Get it cut, and you will look a lot better. And yes, you can wash your hair when you have your period. You don't need to go around with hair that looks as if you can fry chips in it.

Richard is right - your mother is jealous of you. Listen to him and stand up to her more.

[MsCoconut]

You know those two people you are worried about being ill? Yes, they are ill and they are going to get worse. It's going to suck for a bit but it's ok to feel sad about this.

When you first begin to save money, don't be too scared to spend some. If you insist upon investing, some of those new fangled computer firms would be a good start. Can I interest you in Amazon, Apple, Google or Microsoft?