My
dear daughter, you are only seven today but you will soon be seventeen. And
when you become 17 I know the world will no longer be the same for you and I.
We will be together in the same house but we will be distant apart in our heart
and head. I was once 17 you know. And like everything else nothing is constant
so before you grow up too fast I am writing a letter to you and the million
other 17 year olds just like you.
Love
life - you are going to fall in love - hard. So hard that you are often dizzy
with love. A love that is insignificant but withholds you from achieving all
your dreams. Dreams that you dreamt when you were barely ten. Dreams that your
parents dreamt for you when they first held you in their warm loving arms.
Dreams that your mother dreamt for you when you were just a tadpole in her
growing tummy. You are 17 and you have just graduated high school. At the verge
of becoming an adult. You think you are big enough to make decisions and that
you know the best for you and everyone else around you. You have a boyfriend
whom you adore and approve of 100 percent. Only you don't know what's in store
for you. Research says that girls are often the ones who lose track of self
when they fall in love and that boys despite going through all the hormone rage
still manage to perform better academically. When you are 30 or 35 and look
back at the love you adored; no longer adores you or your career. And that
you have fallen off the wagon so deep that you cannot raise yourself and get
back to the start line again. Life is a race. If you do better people will like
you. They will adore you. But if you fail academically intoxicated with love
you won’t have anyone to fall back. Because you can't go back time and score
better grades to get back in better college. When you don't get in a good
college, you don't get a good start in your career. Therefore, when you fall in
love head over heels be sensible and think. The boy you love will love you
back equally or more if they truly love and care for you. Jerks will never love
or care for you if they don't. So don't kill yourself over someone if your
instincts tell you otherwise. And here quoting Michelle Obama again, “No boyfriend
is important than your homework.”
Career
- if you don't know what you want to study in college after high school take a
semester break. Many people don't know what they want to do after high school
or in fact college. If all your friends are enrolling themselves in management classes,
you don't have to. If everyone is going to USA or Australia, you don't have
to. Just because everyone else is doing it - you don't have to. What we fail to
see is that we are all individuals and that when it comes to humans nothing
fits all. There isn't a tested or tried formula that works. What works is
knowing your interests. Definitely not choosing courses based on the amount of
money you can make. Yes, money plays a big role. All of us want to make money
and grow rich but like I said earlier nothing fits all. That is why it is
important to reflect on who we are. I know this sounds so cheesy but I wish all
the high school students took a year break and had the opportunity to explore
and see their city, village, country or basically just take a stroll to a
different part of your town every single day. Think, sit back, relax and really
understand oneself. Had someone told me this when I had just graduated high
school trust me I would judge that person insane immediately but having been
there and done that I wish we listened just for the sake of listening. When you
know what really makes you happy take the plunge and immerse yourself into
those courses that even they get a little scared of you for being so
passionate.
Family
- you can choose your friends but you cannot choose your family so true that it
kind of hurts. What can you do with your family when at 17 all they seem to be
interested is to be on your back 24/7. Remember each family is unique like I
said earlier there is no formula to being the right kind of family. When at 17
you feel like your family is the weirdest by the time you are double that age everyone
else's families seem weirdest but yours. So the point is give your family a
break especially your parents. They want nothing but the best for you. And yes
there will be comparisons because that's what we humans do. Being positive
helps but then when your cousins keep coming at you from left and right then
you need to distance yourself because trust me they never stop - they always
have the right kind of excuse to make you their worst.
Friends
- friendships are important period. At 17 there is nothing more important than
your friends and their acknowledgement. But when you put your interests above
everything else than you are bound to be broken at every step. Therefore when
you have the liberty to choose your friends choose them wisely. Because you do
every wrong in the eyes of your friend’s parents. Basically you are the worst
influence for your friends from the way they project you. I bet you do the same
- your friends have boyfriends/girlfriends but you don't. Your friends smoke
but you don't. Your friends are obnoxious but you aren't. To make friends and
to nurture that friendship for a long period of time is a tedious task. But if you can manage to
respect your friends and take responsibility for your actions you will
automatically be a good friend and good friends are hard to come by. So choose
your friends wisely when you have the liberty.
Success
& failures – there is bound to be failures when you succeed. But don’t beat
yourself. And this is the best I can write on this because I am learning too.
Maybe I will write you another letter when I turn 50 and learn more about
life’s success and failures but for now all you 17 year olds - focus on school
and engage in as many extracurricular activities you can lay your hands on.
But for now and then I will be your mother who adores and loves you. Although you will do no wrong in my eyes you will be judged at every step of your life. So darling little one wishing you have a wonderful 17.
But for now and then I will be your mother who adores and loves you. Although you will do no wrong in my eyes you will be judged at every step of your life. So darling little one wishing you have a wonderful 17.
Nice one
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Bhumi take care
DeleteWow..M speechless sathii..I have tears in my eyes reading your blog..So true from a mother to her loving daughter...She will be so happy reading this wen she's 17 n I hope n pray that she follows all that u have written.Much hugss love Shraddha..
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading sathi and ur encouragement rber when we were 17 lol life's a roller coaster hai take care
ReplyDeleteImmensely blessed to read your reflection of life, and lessons so great to teach, guide next generation.
ReplyDeleteequally blessed to have you reading my blog thank you :)
DeleteWow ! You have said every single word onbehalf of a mother like me. Thank you for taking that time to write which sound so boring to our kids but may not be that boring when they read word of wisdom such as this. I am gonna represent my say by letting my 13 year old son read this. Thanks a ton. And keep up !
ReplyDeletethank you and blessed to have people like you who take out their time to read. all the best with your 13 year old son as for me my fingers are crossed :)
DeleteVery well articulated - covered all the aspects (Love life, career,family, friends, success& failures) - one 17 year old would ponder upon. I would definitely share this to my daughter when she would be 17 too.
ReplyDelete"Although you will do no wrong in my eyes you will be judged at every step of your life".
thank you for reading :)
DeleteWow..amazingly described about each and every stage of 17 years old one face it.....
ReplyDeletethank you for reading :)
DeleteIts like flashback of my 17.. as a boy :)
ReplyDelete:) :)
ReplyDelete