Realisation

The mind of a teenage girl is somewhat complicated. It's a confusing mix of emotions, dreams, ever-expanding knowledge and junk food (usually).
Not a moment goes by when some form of drama isn't going on in a girl's life, and the best way to deal with that as an outsider looking in, is to always be there, offer a hug - do not under any circumstances keep plaguing her to tell you what's wrong, she will tell you in her own time. Being eighteen is far from easy, you aren't quite an adult, in the way that you are still naive to a lot of the world, and you aren't quite as knowledgeable as you often think you are. Book smart and street smart are two very different things, and that alongside a bit of common sense never goes a miss in the real world.
I have learnt that over the years friendships will be made and broken over stupid little things, and you'll have sudden realisations that so called 'friends' are not really friends at all. Although it may hurt to begin with, you realise that it's for the best, and you need to take the negatives to develop and move on in life. My parents have always told me that you can count your true friends on one hand, and I genuinely believe in that, I have many acquaintances in life, many friends, but only a selection of true friends, and I hold them close to my heart.
I have also learnt that you will get judged for every little thing you do, from the clothes you wear, to your hair colour or style, to your music tastes, interests, choice of friends, choice in relationships and even down to your family or even something as petty as a Facebook status update or not replying to an email/text quick enough. I have realised how important it is not to listen to haters in life, you only have one life, and no matter what you do or who you are - you're never gonna keep everyone happy, so why don't you start with making yourself happy, and your true friends and family, and all the other little pieces will fall right into place.
As clichee as this is going to sound, life really is an emotional rollercoaster, I don't care what anybody says, but everyone deals with it differently, and unless you have walked a mile in their shoes, then you shouldn't judge how they react/deal with different problems that arise.
Dear parents/friends etc - you need to realise that we will constantly ask for your advice, and come to you with every little problem that comes our way, and you need to be prepared for us to do the complete opposite, because it's our life, and we need to learn our own lessons. But we don't need the "I told you so..." talk over and over, all we need is a hug and consolation that everything is going to be okay. We will have relationships that go wrong, we will choose friendships we shouldn't, we will do things that are bad for us and regret it, as well as messing up our priorities, but it's what scientists and psycho-analysts call a learning curve. I realise that it must be frustrating for an outsider looking in, but you need to realise that we need to live our own lives, and we need to establish ourselves in the world, and we need guidance, that doesn't mean we are going to live exactly by what we are advised to do - sorry to disappoint.
I have experienced so many amazing things in my life, I have enjoyed a number of sporting successes, educational successes, personal goals and amazing memories with family and friends over the years, and none of these would be possible without all the negatives that life has thrown my way. I want to thank everybody that has been in my life, whether it be for a short time or for the long haul, you have all shaped me to be the person that I am today, and I wouldn't change anything, not even the negatives.

So next time you see someone you love/care about upset, instead of question them - give them a hug? They'll appreciate it a lot more.

Until next time, much love. xo