Hi baby,
A few months ago I told you all about the boys you will meet in your life and lately I have been thinking of the kind of girls you will meet too.
Growing up a girl is hard. (I'm sure growing up a boy is hard too, I just don't have any good stories for that topic). What I experienced isn't what every girl experiences and just like the boys I told you about, I am sure you will find your own categories of people one day.
Your first real friend
You will be young. You and this girl will have tea parties (or soccer games) and me and her mom will be buddies. You will run over to her house without shoes on and she will come join us for family parties. Even after we move you away (or they move) you will think of her as your BFF for a while. Eventually her memory will fade, but you will always have a special place in your heart for her.
The first real mean girl
My first meal girl came in the form on a panties-under-the-leotard-wearing mean girl in ballet class. She was bigger than me and she pinched me. We would get in formation and she would find her way next to me. I quit ballet. You will probably be young when you meet this girl too. I hope you don't let her stop you from doing what you love. You'll be confused and won't understand why she is being mean. I don't understand it either little one, but sometimes girls can just be mean
The girl who is friends with your friend
As you get older your friends might have other friends that you don't really play with. That's OK. It's okay to have a lot of different friends and play with lots of different girls. You might feel a little jealous that this girl gets to have sleepovers and you don't. or maybe this girl has nicer clothes and shoes than you do. It's okay. You are no less of a friend, you are just different. And that's beautiful.
The other mean girls
Like I said, girls can be mean. They are jealous little creatures that attack any girl with confidence and pride in themselves. I was lucky to grow up in a family that taught me to love myself and be kind to others. I also had my own personality and style. Unfortunately that didn't always translate well at school. Girls will be mean, and if you aren't mean back, they will keep being mean. If I could give you one piece of advice it would always always be "be kind to others". Mean girls will come back later in life and tell you that they are sorry for how they acted. Never live your life so you have to apologize to someone later. Stand up for yourself and what you believe in, and never ever stoop down to their mean girl status.
The girl who makes you laugh and cry
This friendship will be the best and the worst thing in your pre-teen/teenage life. When you're getting along you are inseparable. You laugh and tell each other your secrets and dreams and spend countless hours together. Then this girl might just randomly get mad at you for "doing something". You will never really understand what you "did" to make her mad. You might apologize and try to make things better and eventually you two will become BFF's again. This is a confusing friendship and a toxic one. Eventually this friendship will end because (as you will learn) true friends don't treat you like this. True friends don't use you like a pawn in their life and they aren't your friend only when it's convenient for them.
The girl you think has everything
She doesn't. I promise. Don't compare your life, your body or your personality to hers. She is perfect just the way she is, and you are perfect just the way you are.
The girl that makes you doubt yourself
This girl might not be as pretty as you, or as confident as you. She has insecurities that go way beyond your friendship, but they will seep into your life if you let them. She won't be happy for your successes and fun stories. That really awesome date you went on? She will seem uninterested and jealous. When it's just the two of you things might be great, but when you shine, she doesn't. This isn't a true friend either my love. You will eventually see that being around a girl like this does nothing for you or your life.
The girl that has some pretty serious issues
In my life it was an eating disorder. A very public eating disorder that was very hard for me to deal with. I don't know what your friend will be going through, but I am sure you will have one like this. Baby girl I'm not saying don't be friends with girls who are struggling. I had other friends who had the same problems, but they weren't destructive to my life. Chances are you can help them and change their life for the better...just don't sacrifice yourself trying. Listen to them, talk with them, tell your parents about them and see if they can help- but don't ever let their bad habits or struggles become something you deal with too.
The girl who lets you be who you are and helps you be better
This will be a lifelong friend for you. She is happy when you are happy, and tries to make you feel better when you are sad. She is confident in her own skin and life to be able to appreciate yours. Don't be jealous of this friend and turn into the girl I mentioned earlier. It's OK to have separate lives and still be friends. She will make you a better person and a better friend. Her example will teach you how to treat others. Cherish her friendship and give it the attention it deserves.
xoxo
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment