My dear young person,
I am twenty years old and I have already made a few big mistakes in my life. I hope you can learn from my experience so your teen years can be better than mine.
If you’re having trouble with your family, you’re not alone. All families have problems sometimes. Please, don’t run away from your problems. It is better to stay home and work them out. I thought my parents were intolerable. I ran away when I was fourteen, and that is one thing will regret for the rest of my life. It was terrible for me to put my parents through the pain and misery of not knowing where I was and if I was dead or alive. I can picture my mother, staring off into space, tears rolling down her cheeks, wondering if I would ever come home. I wish I had never done such a horrible thing to my parents. The problems were still there when I got back. Save you and your parents from grief by facing your problems together.
Concentrate on doing well in school. A good education ensures a successful life. Strive to get A’s. I do. If I get a grade that is lower than an A, it means that I do not know everything I was supposed to have learned. And please don’t make the mistake I did dropping out of high school. I hate to think of all the education that I missed. I also missed graduation and earning a diploma. I always feel sad when I think about that because I failed to achieve in an important part of life. Even if school seems like a drag, keep going and study hard. It will be over before you know it.
I hope my few words of wisdom have given you something to think about. Remember, obstacles are not for giving up and taking the easy way around by not even trying. You have to work hard to get up over them so you will be strong enough to face the next one. Most of all, remember to be happy.
Love,
Emily
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Wrt 101, Peg Files, 11/2/87