Whilst I try and live with no real regrets, there's nine a few things I would go back and tell my teenage self, if I had the chance. Some of its pretty lighthearted stuff I cringe at, and the other half are just things that I would worry about, that I really didn't need to...
1. Shaving is a bitch hassle.
I put off shaving so much at school, I didn't shave properly until the end of sixth form I think, and I was definitely not prepared for this commitment. I used to see my dad shave every week or so, and he'd get substantial stubble within a day or so. I was a bit optimistic and thought 'good, I won't have to go through this' - oh how wrong was I. The length I let my moustache grow to back then, which did actually get quite bad before I gave myself a razor intervention, is about 3/4 days worth now, and facial hair does not suit me at all. Le cry.
2. Don't worry about losing contact with friends.
At the end of Year 11, I cried... a lot. I felt like I was going to lose my amazing group of friends who had put up with me for years, and accepted me or whatever... Now, even those who meant an awful lot to me and left and disappeared or moved away/changed schools have managed to find a way back into my life over the past 4 years and I now realise I had nothing to worry about...
3. People do not like everyone.
It always confused me when someone didn't like another person, up until the end of secondary school I didn't hate anyone - I was one of those 'I-only-see-the-best-in-people' people - and it wasn't until sixth form really that I found out that amongst all of the clouds and my perfect airy-fairy world, there were some right knobs. I wouldn't say I was someone who wanted to be liked by everyone, I just didn't want to give anyone any reasons to dislike me, but it took me a long time to stop being so naive and grow into my own personality and stop caring just a little bit...
4. Using 3, ii, and This Type Of Texting isn't cool at all.
Yup, I did all of that, I don't really know why. My MSN screen name was ROB3RT for a while which is just, so embarrassing... My Bebo profile also had every word capitalised and on reflection, really shouldn't have.
5. School work isn't everything. Get a job.
This may be two things, but I spent a lot of time in my bedroom revising and generally expanding my knowledge, and didn't really work on any kind of personal development. I was often told to get the grades and then you'd get to go to university and have fun, and that was my goal, but it meant putting off other things that were key parts of other teenagers' adolescence. I didn't have a Saturday job, which came back to bite me during my gap year when I spent 6 months looking for a job, and getting rejected for having next to no experience.
6. Don't spend your pocket money on junk.
I didn't get much pocket money at all, but it all pretty much went on junk food on the way home from school. I was one of the worst savers ever.
7. Burn that blue fleece immediately.
Oh my good lord, it was horrific. I wore it on a daily basis - before school, during breaks, on the way home, even if it was boiling cause I was a little weary of sweat patches and stuff, but looking back at photos it just looked ridiculous.
8. Jackups and ankle socks - no.
I wore this combination often too. If I grew then obviously my trousers wouldn't fit as well, and they became jackups - I didn't like asking my dad to buy new ones as they cost a lot due to my height and size, so I'd just persevere. I really didn't like normal socks, so I'd wear ankle socks, so imagine seeing me sat down, with a nice thick strip of flesh on show. Mmmmm.
9. Pokemon is actually pretty good.
I was too much of a hipster child to get into it, it seemed very overrated, but at the moment my friend Ben is teaching me the error of my ways, and what I've been missing out on.
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