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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCD chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
I recently celebrated my 20th birthday, and letting go of my teenage years was bittersweet. While I am going to miss those years of fitting into size zero jeans and having everything taken care of by my parents, I am also happy to leave my teens behind. Being a teenager is not easy–pimples fill your forehead and back, it feels like the end of the world when you don’t have a date to the dance, and high school kids can be a cruel clan of horny animals. Here are 13 things I wish someone told me when I was 13.

1. Be brave and have courage. Everyday during my sophomore year of high school, one of the most attractive and popular junior boys at school would walk by me in chemistry and call me a freak. My face would turn bright red and I would look to the ground. To this day, I wish I had the strength to stick up for myself and tell this immature boy to get a life. If you don’t want to stand up for yourself, no one else will want to either.

2. Be nice to your mom. We all have bad days, especially when we have no one to eat lunch with or come home to find a sticky note that says “loser” on our backs. Unfortunately, our moms are often at the receiving end of those days. But, don’t take your day out on your mom. You would be surprised at the amazing advice she can give and all the secrets she can keep. While friends come and go, family is forever.

3. If you have to tell someone not to repeat something, then just don’t say it. I spent way too much time in high school stressing about things I said when I could have saved myself all that energy if I had just kept my mouth shut.

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