After watching the newest teen Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why, I have come up with 13 reasons why you, my teenage daughters, are not who you think you are. Also, 13 reasons why you are NOT supposed to have it all together, and 13 ways you can be helped until you have this life thing figured out.
13 Reasons Why and Why Not
13 Reasons why you are NOT who you think you are:
Who you are is not…
1. how drunk you got last night.
2. how many likes you got on your social media post.
3. what your body looks like.
4. who you choose to crush on.
5. what someone did to you, said about you, or judged you about.
6. who asks you to the Prom, or how cool the Promposal is.
7. the college you go to, your standardized test scores, or the grades you get.
8. how you feel at any given moment.
9. the friends you hang around with, or how many acquaintances you have.
10. who your parents are.
11. your mistakes or your successes.
12. whether you are gay or straight.
13. how many soccer goals you score or how many miles you run.
13 Reasons why you are NOT supposed to have it all together:
You are meant to…
1. fall down, and get your heart broken.
2. feel sad.
3. get angry.
4. feel confused.
5. fail and make mistakes.
6. tell someone when life gets overwhelming.
7. be treated with respect, compassion and love.
8. follow your instincts, and are meant to say no, when you feel something or someone is not right.
9. have your own thoughts, ideas, goals, likes and ideas that are different than mine.
10. have bad moments, and crappy days.
11. know that this too shall pass.
12. share what is in your heart.
13. be loved unconditionally, and do not have to do anything to earn it.
13 Ways you can be helped until you have this life thing figured out:
I cannot…
1. take away your pain, but I can love you through it.
2. erase your mistakes, but I can teach you how to learn from them.
3. make all your decisions for you, but I can guide you through them.
4. heal your heartache, but I can hold you through it.
5. open your heart, but I can love you unconditionally.
6. prevent you from feeling sad, but I can hold the space for you to cry.
7. wish away your anger, but I can teach you ways to best express it.
8. prevent you from using drugs, or drinking too much, but I can teach you how to love and respect yourself.
9. take away your fears, but I can teach you how to stop running from them.
10. force you to ask for help, but I can tell you I will always be there for you, and every problem has a solution.
11. take away your disappointment, but I can show you that life goes on, and there is often something better waiting just up ahead.
12. calm your mind, but I can remind you how to breathe.
13. make anything come faster, but I can teach you the value of patience.
You matter. You are loved.
No Matter What.
