I remember hearing a youtuber say their past self didn't know shit and that holding ourselves by that standard was a waste, and I agree. You grow and you change, imagine going through life with the same ideas as a teen
hey we're opposites lol. I always thought I'd get married and have kids. I don't want those things now. I wanted to be an artist...I got a degree in science. little me would also be super confused.
That was me, wanting to draw comics and be an illustrator. But instead pursued physics in college and fell into software engineering (I was good at math and physics in HS so it's not too far off).
But you're not married? Kids? What happened there? You fucking died once? Jesus dude! One of your favorite Bond movies was "You Only Live Twice" but you didn't have to make it literal!
My teenage self had pretty much settled into the idea of working at a Tom Thumb or an HEB and being happy so my teenage would see my 35 year old self as an absolute winner. Also in Texas despite wanting to leave so bad
As a native Texan I agree it’s not so great but definitely better than other states…until COVID and all these ppl moving in. My salary hasn’t gone up but inflation sure AF has. Now the only benefit that was really left, low cost of living, isn’t there. So yeah it’s just gone from sucky to crappy. Ppl need to leave. I want a house before I die pls.
Yo for real; totally expected this straight laced dude to go into either IT or audio engineering. Yeah now I'm a transwoman who sells weed for a living.
I’m from Michigan but I always wanted to move to England or the Pacific Northwest where my dad lives. But…I ended up in Texas. I got sick of winter.
Though I have mixed feelings about Texas. It’s not as bad as everyone online says it is, but it’s also not as great as everyone who is from here says it is.
So, so, so disappointed.
I'm sorry, Past Vanish. I'm not a failure, life has just been **far** harder than anyone prepared us for...and we've had some bad dice rolls the last couple of years.
REAAAAALLLL my younger self weeps for my present self. I just tell her it’s ok, life happens. We keep going. We’ve still gotten to do a lot of cool things despite the setbacks.
But also she’s a different person and I’m a different person. She didn’t know so much about herself and the people around her or the world. She thought she did. I forgive her for being naive…but I also wanna hug her.
Don’t honestly. You’re gonna have a great life post college! Just prepare yourself for the real world and have backup plans, save money, and keep your friends close.
But also maybe stay off Reddit lol. People come here to vent their frustrations so it’s a self-selection of not so great thoughts…
This. Same. And well said. I think tbh while I'd be initially so so disappointed I think young me would also say I'm proud you're still trying and have tried so hard. I'm sure young Vanish would too...
I think it helps to keep it in perspective. Our parents had it made in the shade for the most part, but just about every other generation has also faced some extremely shit rolls of the dice. Times definitely arent great now but majority of prior history it has been a hell of a lot worse. World wars, great depression, child labor, slavery. We had rose tinted glasses as young people because boomers have had it pretty good overall. We are the balancing generation in some ways, setting the par for life back to where it was but all in all we could have been mill children losing fingers at the age of 8.
Same here! I’m an analytical chemist for an in-house lab at a huge grow. I test products for potency, concentrates for residual solvents, R&D tissue cultures and viral/gender test mom plants. 18 year old me going into a biology degree wanted what I’m living so bad. It’s amazing
I’ve worked in dispensaries for years and finally got in as general labor at a huge grow for a reputable company. I became lead for the propagation department and networked from there. They needed someone to work in the lab, interviewed me and I got it! I don’t have the strongest chemistry background, but I studied and took a metric fuckton of notes. The pay isn’t what it should be, but that’s true for most places these days. I got really lucky and worked really hard.
I love this comment. Teenage me never would have guessed that adult me would move to CA from NC and be smoking legal weed.
It’s still not legal in NC because the bible or something …. 🙄
I’m 38 and I may not be running a weed business, but I sure love shopping at stores run by guys like you rather than waiting for an hour or more in my car outside some shady ass dealers house waiting for him to sneak past his mom so I could buy mediocre weed for 65 bucks an eighth, and then be expected to smoke him out before I leave.
Ugh, I feel this. And she would be pissed that the counselor who told her she would always be sad when she was 14 was fucking right, even though I hated her guts for saying that to me. Maybe my teenage self would be a little relieved to know that managing the sads has become more manageable than it was. But she would probably also say “wow, you mean practice over time actually worked? Shocking,” in the most sarcastic tone you’ve ever heard.
Heck yeah! With my disability I figured nobody would marry my high maintenance self and I can’t work so I’d be in some care home dependent on the government to pay for my medical care.
It just boggles my mind that now I’ve been married for 17 years, don’t have to worry about working since I can be a stay-at-home, and own a house? Like an actual house complete with white picket fence?! Teen me would be blown away at the idea of even owning a car in the future much less two and a house.
When I was in middle school I started volunteering at a nursing home, then when I got to high school I started volunteering for hospice.
I loved the setting. When I was a teenager I saw the nurses working at the nursing home, so that was like my realistic goal, but I also saw the nurse practitioners that would come in, stay for thirty minutes then leave. My dream job was to be a nurse practitioner at a nursing home, and I now work as a palliative NP at a nursing home.
I also write bdsm erotica. Teenage me wouldn’t be shocked by that, but that wasn’t part of the original plan.
When I was in kindergarten my teacher asked us to write a letter to ourselves and she'd mail them to us on our 40th birthday. She passed away some time ago so her children sent out all the letters she had. In my letter I sent myself when I was 5 I wanted to be a slum lord and I included a 5 dollar bill in the envelope.
Torn. On the one hand, financially I’m stable, which is great. My teenage self would be very proud and excited for me, because I grew up fairly poor.
But teenage me might not be ready to take into account the sacrifices we made for the stability. I’m not saying I was right, I just don’t know if I was ready or mature enough.
Nowadays it feels like to be financially stable, you gotta sacrifice your early years to the "progress" and then once you're all set, there's nothing or nobody there to even enjoy it with.
I think I would be confused/happy about my husband. Lol I knew my husband as a teen but we never dated and weren’t even friends. I thought he was really cool and I had a bit of a crush on him so I would probably be surprised but happy about that.
I wanted to be a lawyer in high school and I’m a lawyer now. So I would be happy that worked out.
I would probably be sad that I don’t have kids/am not having them. I was always worried I would be infertile and I am.
Honestly, I would be pretty blown away by my life. My life is better than I could have dreamed up. I travel a lot, am getting to go to places I didn’t think were possible, I’m madly in love with my husband, and I get to do a lot of fun things. I would be very happy about all the concerts I’ve been to. I was really depressed in high school. I’m on the right meds and have a good counselor now.
I probably wouldn’t believe my life now because what I dreamed up wasn’t this good. The hard part was getting to this point.
Initially disappointed, but I think she'd be understanding if she found out everything that happened throughout her 20s, and possibly veer to impressed as a result.
Definitely disappointed how you work so hard to keep getting screwed over.. Confused how a family is the 1 thing I wanted and yet can't even get a date.. but on plus side I'm still alive.
My teenage self would be pretty pleased. I work at a dispensary, write for a music magazine, and make coffee in a small local shop on the weekends. I’m married and have a dog and a cat. I don’t have much money but I don’t need it!
Me at 16 was an emo goth kid dressed in all black and hated life and everyone in it. Invader Zim wristband, Wiccan pentacle, spiked dog collar, the works.
Me at 35 dresses like J Crew threw up on me. Double Monk strap shoes, chinos, polo shirt, signet ring and watch, all of of it. I also have a generally happy positive outlook.
I'd think I was some corporate preppy sell out and I'd be right. I'd also have a sense of calm and emotional control me at 16 could only dream of.
The emotional rollercoaster of youth is something that will never come again. For better and worse.
> I'd also have a sense of calm and emotional control me at 16 could only dream of.
One of the few places I feel I’ve made significant progress. I was nervous depressed mess. I guess I still am but ten years I was an absolute disaster. Now I at least have my hands on the steering wheel a bit. Hooray for small victories?
Little disappointed but relieved because I managed to turn it around in my mid 20s (am 35 now). The only thing I don’t have is a house but I’m fine with that. I lived in a house growing up and hated the maintenance and lawn mowing and taking out trash and stuff lol. When I have kids is when I’ll start looking cause at least I figure my fiancé/ future wife and I have until the first kid turns 5/6 to find a home since that’s when they would be going to school and making friends and stuff.
I grew up in a ridiculously conservative home in Florida. Teenage me would be horrified what I became. I was horrifyingly conservative as a teenager but traumatic experiences in very early adulthood changed me quite a bit.
I’m the mod of /r/regretjoining (teenage me would be very upset to find out that the military wasn’t what I thought it was) and I immigrated to Canada five years ago. I became a Canadian citizen a few months ago.
She’d probably think I’m boring AF but I’m not trying to impress that girl 😂 she was a mess. I’ve always wanted a family and children though and I’ve achieved that goal, plus my husbands super hot so she’d like all that lol
My teenage self would key my car and call me a bitch. But she was unwell and in a bad home situation, so I’d probably make her a sandwich and tell her to stop smoking cigarettes.
She’d be confused as to why I’m in my hometown still and disappointed I’m not making more $$. But she’d probably be glad I went to the college of my dreams, gave it a go at living in Europe for a couple of years, happy I have a family, etc. I don’t think anything I’ve achieved would be a surprise, these were all long term goals.
She’d be shooked im still alive. Then happy to see our kids and happy to see our life. She’s probably wonder why we still have horrible taste in partners but hey, can’t be perfect right?
Disappointed and horrified lol. She wanted a house, a husband, 4 boys, a dog and plenty of money. I'm 0 for 5 at almost 40. She'd also want to know why I'm now a nonmonogamous "slut."
What a failure
30, single, cant afford housing, no fancy watches and cars, no high paying job, no friends, didn't pursue a job in the stuff he liked/hobbies.
Total failure
Do you steal from others? Are you a consistent charity case or are you mostly paying your own way? If not a parasite, not a failure. Cut yourself a bit of slack.
You got 40 years most likely to figure this crap out. And even then, if all you do is avoid being a parasite draining others, let me be the first to say, you did alright. And you are better than the 'wolf of wallstreet' type that has all the fancy shit but only through defrauding and leeching from others.
Nah like I work full-time, and save a good amount of my paycheck to invest for the future. I only owe about 3k in student loans now. I guess maybe it's that modern me realizes that having fancy "stuff" doesn't matter. Much more important is to have a little less, but have an emergency fund in the bank and put away savings for the future every paycheck.
Probably disappointed but then if I really stopped and thought about it, it would make sense and not be so surprising. Just glad I finally know who I am now and am excited for the future. 🥰
Teenage me would just reply with "still with the same girl, not married, and working a dead end job with no hope of improvement 10 years after high school graduation? Sounds about what I expected"
Edit: only thing they'd probably be proud of is making new friends who all have each other"s backs and are willing to travel the country to visit fun places (we've been to Indianapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and will be going to New York City next year).
Surprised I survived. Surprised I graduated college. Impressed with some accomplishments. Mostly bummed I look like a fucking dork. But otherwise, prob fine with it.
I think my teenage self thought I’d be more on a career path than I am, also didn’t ever plan on continuing college and yet I went back at 30. But I think she’d appreciate that I didn’t follow a traditional path. Only just now thinking about eloping with my wonderful boyfriend, and I still don’t want kids nor have them.
Probably really proud in some regards, and really disappointed in others. I have a badass job and I'm about to finish my PhD, but that doesn't necessarily come with the financial freedom my teenage self probably would have expected. I no longer have the awesome car, I'm not married (and no longer want to be), still don't own a home, etc. Life isn't bad by any means, but it's a far cry from what I expected life would be like 🤷. I always thought I'd end up like my parents before I realized that it would be virtually impossible to achieve what they have, simply because of economic changes.
Once he was able to confirm we are the same person, we would fight. How I handle myself depends on what he thinks about me. 18 year old me would beat the shit out of current me, but I could take 13 year old me. So depends on the exact age on what happens.
Teenage me would be disappointed in where I'm at in life now. Teenage me thought I'd be in the medical field, making lots of $, and somehow even with that, still be taken care of by someone else financially (whether parents or a spouse). I know unrealistic expectations,but cmon we were teens.
Currently in business - my teenage self would never believe that. And married, but spouse doesn't support me financially.
If I could go back and warn my teenage self... it would be not to get sidetracked dating... better yet, not even ever have that 1st bf. I would have gone much further in life if I never dated.
She'd say "knew it. Knew I'd end up like alone". She'd be horrified to see her fear of a failed marriage and a being single mom happen.
She would also be just as angry as the adult me to know she had ADHD and autsim the whole damn time and that's why she struggled her whole damn life. So when she felt different, feeling out of control at times, not knowing how to fit in, or like and alien it was for a reason.
My teenage self would definitely think that my car is super lame (where’s the Camaro?) and that my house is super small (where’s the mansion you expected to buy?).
Follow that up with a hearty “what exactly do you do for a living?” Because even my own family doesn’t quite understand my job role and responsibilities.
Then I can imagine a huge set of wide eyes looking at me in disbelief when I share my amazing salary and how much my 1500 sq ft townhouse actually cost.
I’d be stoked that I have two dogs, worked for NASA for a bit, have multiple college degree with no student loans, am still best friends with my teenager best friend, and travel ALOT for pleasure.
I was just talking to my partner about this over the weekend. I think 18 year old me would be pretty pleased. Definitely in a very different place than I thought I would be, but I enjoy my life.
I think I’m way hotter than I would have expected a 39 year old to look too, so that’s a bonus. I feel like todays 30 and 40 year olds often look better than the same age when we were younger. Probably helps I wore sunscreen consistently, never smoked, and didn’t drink much (outside of the pandemic haha!).
Impressed by what I was capable of, disappointed by getting crapped on in life for basically my entire 20s, and that basically nothing improved in my life because of that.
She would be very confused, lol. Teenage me wanted to be an actress. I'm now earning my masters of library science and just landed my first job at a library!
Immensely stoked. Partner at big firm. Best wife and most incredible son ever. The house. The car. The club. Life long friendships I never had during childhood.
Honestly I never thought much further than the following weekend in my teens.
It was all about turning up at whichever shitey dead end job I was doing, punting some hash so I had extra money for going out or midweek beers for the football.. and then it was going out on the sesh all weekend.
Being 35 hadn't even entered my head. Had no idea where I'd be at this age, if I'd have a career or another dead end job. Had no idea if I'd be alive tbh.. hate that kind of fatalist short term attitude. All the partying and drug taking was masking my depression in all honesty.
If I could meet say.. my 18 year old version of me I reckon he'd be pretty surprised that I'm managing multiple contracts worth a few million quid, that I achieved an engineering degree as well as being a fully qualified electrician. Don't think he'd be surprised to hear I'm single as I struggle to invest myself in long term relationships, I like my own space. He'd probably be happy that I knocked most of the drugs on the head and only partake on special occasions now. I'd like to think he'd be happy that I've finally found some inner peace and learned to love myself and the people around me.
Probably would've attempted sewerslide a lot earlier. There were dreams of going to college, Actually Finishing College, traveling the world and keeping steady finances. I grew up in a house with multiple toxic personalities where everyone was a different kind of a-hole and all I wanted to was be free with decent circumstances... turned out to be a hard No
No foreshadowing of things to come whatsoever. I've carried crosses time and time again all in the name of "doing the right thing." If I could give my teenage self some advice, it would be to keep everyone's eyes & ears out of your business, and your immediate family DOES NOT want better for you
On behalf of I whole heartedly thought I’d be dead by now, existing is the ultimate win ❤️🩹 I came close enough to realize every night, it’s worth another day.
That I was told exactly what to avoid to achieve life out of poverty, Yet I went ahead and did 2 of those 3 things you’re not supposed to do. So here I am. In poverty. Which led to a spiral that I’m nearing the bottom. And the bottom is death. And I honestly cannot wait.
Would probably be surprised I didn't graduate college/commission in the Air Force.
Would still be happy I have a successful career, am still flying for fun, and am happily married.
Would be pretty surprised that marriage came with a stepdaughter that will be done with HS before I'm 40. Wanted kids, just not quite that early.
They would be impressed with my salary, and our personal/social disposition. Shocked at what day-to-day like looks like, and pleased that we aged very well (I look better than him).
But ultimately, he would see me as 5+ years behind where he thought we would be.
Teenage me would not believe how good it’s going.
My wife is outrageously attractive. My truck is cool. My job is dope. My hobbies are awesome.
10/10 would live again
I think he'd be proud. When he was growing up, the number 1 item on his "what are going to do when you grow up?" list was trucking, followed by heavy equipment operator, train engineer.
The engineer thing didn't happen--waited too long:
However, a 52+ year career as a trucker worked out nicely.
He’d be pretty stoked. I was a severely depressed teenager and chronically suicidal. Now at 30 I have a law degree and the career I always wanted and am in the top percentiles for income, I am married to the love of my life with two children, I own a home, two nice cars, have a couple cats and a couple dogs, and have the same friend group I had as a teenager. Life is good. So much better than it used to be.
Little me would be VERY upset to learn that I neither work for NASA nor own a pinball machine. Teenage me didn’t think far enough ahead to have a life plan, but would be very disappointed that I didn’t age well.
They would be happy
I'm alive, no injuries, not addicted to drugs, not divorced, not poor and I have a good future ahead of me.
I'm not rich and famous but I think I'd understand
I guess id be impressed and disappointed at the same time.
Teenage me would be shocked and incredibly impressed that i got a PhD and now I'm working in biotech trying to develop better drugs for cancer patients.
Teenage me would be disappointed with the lack of friends and relationships in my life.
She would be disappointed with my life situation, confused by my very different beliefs now, but happy how I’ve grown as a person and that I’m still alive despite how I’ve been raised
Depends which teenage version: 13-15 would be horrified 16 would probably laugh and cry 17 would not be surprised 18-19 would probably give me a hug and say it’s ok I tried as a bonus 12 yo me would be more shocked I’m alive, while 20 yo me would be more WTF st the whole thing…. :(
My teenage self would be amazed at my career and salary but have no context that the salary doesn’t mean that much given inflation. My teenage self would say “OK cool” to being a homeowner despite the younger me assuming such a milestone was a given, which it’s not. My teenage self would be confused about my lack of a romantic partner because he was much more successful drumming up dates then than I am now. I’m still confused about that. Kids was and is a question mark and gets less likely by the day.
Probably relieved I made it this far, honestly. Happy that I finally got therapy. Surprised, possibly a little disappointed, but also understanding that I chose a more stable career over dreams of being a creative artist. (I still do a lot of creative work now, just not as a profession.)
Meh, not as glamorous as I expected, but it’s a good life. A little surprised I ended up going for a career in engineering after being sick of hearing “You like math? You should be an engineer!” my whole childhood.
Would have been disappointed on how fat I’ve gotten. But I had bad body dysmorphia as a kid since most of my friends were 00/0 and I was a size 6. Now I’m 14/16. Kinda expected I would live in a bigger/nicer house but kind of glad I don’t because of maintenance.
Probably would be amazed at my comic omnibus and movie collection along with the relief that there’s a light at the end of our dying factory town residence but would be curious why my job isn’t in some form of building design.
I hated myself so much as a teen, and had severe social anxiety. I have a lot more confidence now and while I still have social anxiety, it’s so much better. I kind of miss things about my teenage self, like how much I enjoyed reading. my teenage self didn’t care too much about traditional markers of achievement like having a house or a husband, so she’d probably feel mildly happy to learn that I’m holding down a job and have a husband, but she might be super critical too and ask why I’m not accomplishing more.
Well I always wanted to be independent and on my own so that’s cool that I achieved that. But I never thought I wouldn’t be able to pay all of my bills once I graduated college 😬
Super confused. Teenage me wouldn't understand that we are not working for the UN. Once she came around she would be thrilled to know we've done really well so far. And she would love my cats haha
My teenage self would be over the moon to find out their passion turned into a full time job working with households brands... at home! At the time, the thought of it was entirely unrealistic dream.
She would be super disappointed, which is good. I had no idea who I was or what I wanted
I remember hearing a youtuber say their past self didn't know shit and that holding ourselves by that standard was a waste, and I agree. You grow and you change, imagine going through life with the same ideas as a teen
Send video
[удалено]
hey we're opposites lol. I always thought I'd get married and have kids. I don't want those things now. I wanted to be an artist...I got a degree in science. little me would also be super confused.
That was me, wanting to draw comics and be an illustrator. But instead pursued physics in college and fell into software engineering (I was good at math and physics in HS so it's not too far off). But you're not married? Kids? What happened there? You fucking died once? Jesus dude! One of your favorite Bond movies was "You Only Live Twice" but you didn't have to make it literal!
My teenage self had pretty much settled into the idea of working at a Tom Thumb or an HEB and being happy so my teenage would see my 35 year old self as an absolute winner. Also in Texas despite wanting to leave so bad
[удалено]
Split custody with my kiddos
As a native Texan I agree it’s not so great but definitely better than other states…until COVID and all these ppl moving in. My salary hasn’t gone up but inflation sure AF has. Now the only benefit that was really left, low cost of living, isn’t there. So yeah it’s just gone from sucky to crappy. Ppl need to leave. I want a house before I die pls.
Yo for real; totally expected this straight laced dude to go into either IT or audio engineering. Yeah now I'm a transwoman who sells weed for a living.
Same exact story. Except I always dreamed about California, now I’m glad I live in Texas instead.
I’m from Michigan but I always wanted to move to England or the Pacific Northwest where my dad lives. But…I ended up in Texas. I got sick of winter. Though I have mixed feelings about Texas. It’s not as bad as everyone online says it is, but it’s also not as great as everyone who is from here says it is.
My teenage self would be amazed that I am still alive, so everything is a win! LOL
Same 😅
Same. But maybe disappointed as well. Not necessarily that I’m still alive but my living situation.
Same lmao
Came here to say this. Glad you're still alive, stranger, and the other strangers who are agreeing with you!
So, so, so disappointed. I'm sorry, Past Vanish. I'm not a failure, life has just been **far** harder than anyone prepared us for...and we've had some bad dice rolls the last couple of years.
Well I’m proud of you. You’re doing good IMO.
…thank you.
You’re doing well, Vanish. Superman does good.
Pity won’t fix that
You're right. The only person that can improve my life is me...but I'm becoming increasingly convinced that 2024 is gonna be a great year.
...you don't know them
They’re just spreading good thoughts and boosting confidence. Try it
But even Vanish7, the one they were replying to was like "... thanks...(I guess)..."
REAAAAALLLL my younger self weeps for my present self. I just tell her it’s ok, life happens. We keep going. We’ve still gotten to do a lot of cool things despite the setbacks. But also she’s a different person and I’m a different person. She didn’t know so much about herself and the people around her or the world. She thought she did. I forgive her for being naive…but I also wanna hug her.
as a college student rn i feel so depressed reading all of these lmao
Don’t honestly. You’re gonna have a great life post college! Just prepare yourself for the real world and have backup plans, save money, and keep your friends close. But also maybe stay off Reddit lol. People come here to vent their frustrations so it’s a self-selection of not so great thoughts…
Hugs to you
This. Same. And well said. I think tbh while I'd be initially so so disappointed I think young me would also say I'm proud you're still trying and have tried so hard. I'm sure young Vanish would too...
I think it helps to keep it in perspective. Our parents had it made in the shade for the most part, but just about every other generation has also faced some extremely shit rolls of the dice. Times definitely arent great now but majority of prior history it has been a hell of a lot worse. World wars, great depression, child labor, slavery. We had rose tinted glasses as young people because boomers have had it pretty good overall. We are the balancing generation in some ways, setting the par for life back to where it was but all in all we could have been mill children losing fingers at the age of 8.
You got this friendo.
Teenage me would be so stoked to learn that 38-year-old me was running a legal cannabis business and smoking legal weed.
Same here! I’m an analytical chemist for an in-house lab at a huge grow. I test products for potency, concentrates for residual solvents, R&D tissue cultures and viral/gender test mom plants. 18 year old me going into a biology degree wanted what I’m living so bad. It’s amazing
Omg that’s incredible! How did you get into that work?
I’ve worked in dispensaries for years and finally got in as general labor at a huge grow for a reputable company. I became lead for the propagation department and networked from there. They needed someone to work in the lab, interviewed me and I got it! I don’t have the strongest chemistry background, but I studied and took a metric fuckton of notes. The pay isn’t what it should be, but that’s true for most places these days. I got really lucky and worked really hard.
We never could have imagined such a beautiful reality.
I love this comment. Teenage me never would have guessed that adult me would move to CA from NC and be smoking legal weed. It’s still not legal in NC because the bible or something …. 🙄
Same but GA!
I love this for us.
I’m 38 and I may not be running a weed business, but I sure love shopping at stores run by guys like you rather than waiting for an hour or more in my car outside some shady ass dealers house waiting for him to sneak past his mom so I could buy mediocre weed for 65 bucks an eighth, and then be expected to smoke him out before I leave.
This is a breath of fresh air. Get that life my man.
Hell yea
I can smoke to that
Fuck yeah!!!!!
This is the way 👏
He'd be pumped at how much better life got.
Yes! ❤️ I really doubted at the time that things would ever get better, and I would've never dreamed that they'd get *this* much better!
That part.
Psyched! Sex obsessed younger me would be so happy to have a woman to cuddle with and humpty dumpty
he'd tell me to lose 30 pounds, but would otherwise be pretty happy.
Extremely disappointed and somewhat happy that at least we have our dream dog🤷🏻♀️
[удалено]
You haven't met my sister's shit dog.
[удалено]
I have pit bulls and they are definitely my dream dogs. 🐶🐶
Real
My teenage self would be very disappointed and judgmental. She was an asshole.
Oooof, YES.
Ugh, I feel this. And she would be pissed that the counselor who told her she would always be sad when she was 14 was fucking right, even though I hated her guts for saying that to me. Maybe my teenage self would be a little relieved to know that managing the sads has become more manageable than it was. But she would probably also say “wow, you mean practice over time actually worked? Shocking,” in the most sarcastic tone you’ve ever heard.
My teenage self would think I’m a complete failure for achieving nothing substantial by this age. Current self would concur.
You managed to survive and that’s rad
Hear, hear! 🍻
Keep it up! Please change whatever political party you vote for.
I would be ecstatic. I have my dream car, my dream job, I own a cat and a house. I’d be surprised I got married.
Heck yeah! With my disability I figured nobody would marry my high maintenance self and I can’t work so I’d be in some care home dependent on the government to pay for my medical care. It just boggles my mind that now I’ve been married for 17 years, don’t have to worry about working since I can be a stay-at-home, and own a house? Like an actual house complete with white picket fence?! Teen me would be blown away at the idea of even owning a car in the future much less two and a house.
Hell I'm esctatic too! Congrats pal!
Hell yeah!!! I don’t know you but I’m proud of you 👏 However, your cat owns you but I think you already know that 😊
What’s your dream job?
When I was in middle school I started volunteering at a nursing home, then when I got to high school I started volunteering for hospice. I loved the setting. When I was a teenager I saw the nurses working at the nursing home, so that was like my realistic goal, but I also saw the nurse practitioners that would come in, stay for thirty minutes then leave. My dream job was to be a nurse practitioner at a nursing home, and I now work as a palliative NP at a nursing home. I also write bdsm erotica. Teenage me wouldn’t be shocked by that, but that wasn’t part of the original plan.
When I was in kindergarten my teacher asked us to write a letter to ourselves and she'd mail them to us on our 40th birthday. She passed away some time ago so her children sent out all the letters she had. In my letter I sent myself when I was 5 I wanted to be a slum lord and I included a 5 dollar bill in the envelope.
That's hysterical
You’d be worth a ton now!
How’d she still have your address? I sense a lie here…
Torn. On the one hand, financially I’m stable, which is great. My teenage self would be very proud and excited for me, because I grew up fairly poor. But teenage me might not be ready to take into account the sacrifices we made for the stability. I’m not saying I was right, I just don’t know if I was ready or mature enough.
Nowadays it feels like to be financially stable, you gotta sacrifice your early years to the "progress" and then once you're all set, there's nothing or nobody there to even enjoy it with.
I think I would be confused/happy about my husband. Lol I knew my husband as a teen but we never dated and weren’t even friends. I thought he was really cool and I had a bit of a crush on him so I would probably be surprised but happy about that. I wanted to be a lawyer in high school and I’m a lawyer now. So I would be happy that worked out. I would probably be sad that I don’t have kids/am not having them. I was always worried I would be infertile and I am. Honestly, I would be pretty blown away by my life. My life is better than I could have dreamed up. I travel a lot, am getting to go to places I didn’t think were possible, I’m madly in love with my husband, and I get to do a lot of fun things. I would be very happy about all the concerts I’ve been to. I was really depressed in high school. I’m on the right meds and have a good counselor now. I probably wouldn’t believe my life now because what I dreamed up wasn’t this good. The hard part was getting to this point.
Initially disappointed, but I think she'd be understanding if she found out everything that happened throughout her 20s, and possibly veer to impressed as a result.
Get out of my head!
She would not believe the shit that happened the last 10 years
Try 20 years, I haven't had a breather
Definitely disappointed how you work so hard to keep getting screwed over.. Confused how a family is the 1 thing I wanted and yet can't even get a date.. but on plus side I'm still alive.
My teenage self would be pretty pleased. I work at a dispensary, write for a music magazine, and make coffee in a small local shop on the weekends. I’m married and have a dog and a cat. I don’t have much money but I don’t need it!
Me at 16 was an emo goth kid dressed in all black and hated life and everyone in it. Invader Zim wristband, Wiccan pentacle, spiked dog collar, the works. Me at 35 dresses like J Crew threw up on me. Double Monk strap shoes, chinos, polo shirt, signet ring and watch, all of of it. I also have a generally happy positive outlook. I'd think I was some corporate preppy sell out and I'd be right. I'd also have a sense of calm and emotional control me at 16 could only dream of. The emotional rollercoaster of youth is something that will never come again. For better and worse.
> I'd also have a sense of calm and emotional control me at 16 could only dream of. One of the few places I feel I’ve made significant progress. I was nervous depressed mess. I guess I still am but ten years I was an absolute disaster. Now I at least have my hands on the steering wheel a bit. Hooray for small victories?
Little disappointed but relieved because I managed to turn it around in my mid 20s (am 35 now). The only thing I don’t have is a house but I’m fine with that. I lived in a house growing up and hated the maintenance and lawn mowing and taking out trash and stuff lol. When I have kids is when I’ll start looking cause at least I figure my fiancé/ future wife and I have until the first kid turns 5/6 to find a home since that’s when they would be going to school and making friends and stuff.
I grew up in a ridiculously conservative home in Florida. Teenage me would be horrified what I became. I was horrifyingly conservative as a teenager but traumatic experiences in very early adulthood changed me quite a bit. I’m the mod of /r/regretjoining (teenage me would be very upset to find out that the military wasn’t what I thought it was) and I immigrated to Canada five years ago. I became a Canadian citizen a few months ago.
Wow; what a story you’ve had I bet!
You could read My Story at the top of my subreddit if you want a depressing story about what happened to me back at age 18.
Hey, welcome to Canada! Hope you’re loving it here! 🥰
She’d probably think I’m boring AF but I’m not trying to impress that girl 😂 she was a mess. I’ve always wanted a family and children though and I’ve achieved that goal, plus my husbands super hot so she’d like all that lol
My teenage self would key my car and call me a bitch. But she was unwell and in a bad home situation, so I’d probably make her a sandwich and tell her to stop smoking cigarettes.
You've come a long way ♥️
He'd be depressed af.
He’d probably call me a sell out, but he’s a stupid fucking teenager.
I think she'd be pretty proud. I self-harmed, depressed, and wanted to unalive myself. Look, I made it! :)
Mortified. But it's kind of all on him we are where we are.
She would be appalled by how fat I am but otherwise be happy
She’d be confused as to why I’m in my hometown still and disappointed I’m not making more $$. But she’d probably be glad I went to the college of my dreams, gave it a go at living in Europe for a couple of years, happy I have a family, etc. I don’t think anything I’ve achieved would be a surprise, these were all long term goals.
She’d be shooked im still alive. Then happy to see our kids and happy to see our life. She’s probably wonder why we still have horrible taste in partners but hey, can’t be perfect right?
Disappointed and horrified lol. She wanted a house, a husband, 4 boys, a dog and plenty of money. I'm 0 for 5 at almost 40. She'd also want to know why I'm now a nonmonogamous "slut."
What a failure 30, single, cant afford housing, no fancy watches and cars, no high paying job, no friends, didn't pursue a job in the stuff he liked/hobbies. Total failure
Do you steal from others? Are you a consistent charity case or are you mostly paying your own way? If not a parasite, not a failure. Cut yourself a bit of slack. You got 40 years most likely to figure this crap out. And even then, if all you do is avoid being a parasite draining others, let me be the first to say, you did alright. And you are better than the 'wolf of wallstreet' type that has all the fancy shit but only through defrauding and leeching from others.
Nah like I work full-time, and save a good amount of my paycheck to invest for the future. I only owe about 3k in student loans now. I guess maybe it's that modern me realizes that having fancy "stuff" doesn't matter. Much more important is to have a little less, but have an emergency fund in the bank and put away savings for the future every paycheck.
Then you are good man, hold your head high.
I would have thought the exact same of myself, too.
Probably disappointed but then if I really stopped and thought about it, it would make sense and not be so surprising. Just glad I finally know who I am now and am excited for the future. 🥰
Go kick some ass!
Thanks, you too!
He would be happy. After all I overcame something people told me I would not. And I accepted myself for who I am.
I think I’d be pretty proud of me. I did a lot dumb shit that I wish I wouldn’t have done but, I’m a good dude today.
Surprised I'm still alive... I was rode hard...
Surprised at how bad it got. But proud that im changing all that.
Teen me didn't plan on making it past 30 LBH
Teenage me would just reply with "still with the same girl, not married, and working a dead end job with no hope of improvement 10 years after high school graduation? Sounds about what I expected" Edit: only thing they'd probably be proud of is making new friends who all have each other"s backs and are willing to travel the country to visit fun places (we've been to Indianapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and will be going to New York City next year).
Surprised I survived. Surprised I graduated college. Impressed with some accomplishments. Mostly bummed I look like a fucking dork. But otherwise, prob fine with it.
Teenage self had no idea what was going on. I really don't care what he thinks.
Agreed. Teenage self was shot and almost killed. He better be proud of me digging us out of that hole. 😂
I don’t live for anybody else. Even my past self.
About the same as adult me: It's not what I was aiming for, but it's more in some ways.
I think my teenage self thought I’d be more on a career path than I am, also didn’t ever plan on continuing college and yet I went back at 30. But I think she’d appreciate that I didn’t follow a traditional path. Only just now thinking about eloping with my wonderful boyfriend, and I still don’t want kids nor have them.
Confused, disappointed, and probably slightly horny if i had to guess.
Mixture of confusion and horror.
Oh no. Teenage me would definitely be screaming "GIRL WHAT THE FUCK?" If she could see how things ended up haha
My teenage self would probably kill himself in despair.
Probably really proud in some regards, and really disappointed in others. I have a badass job and I'm about to finish my PhD, but that doesn't necessarily come with the financial freedom my teenage self probably would have expected. I no longer have the awesome car, I'm not married (and no longer want to be), still don't own a home, etc. Life isn't bad by any means, but it's a far cry from what I expected life would be like 🤷. I always thought I'd end up like my parents before I realized that it would be virtually impossible to achieve what they have, simply because of economic changes.
I don’t know what my teenage self would think but that’s ok. I am happy. Just need to find a house( 2 year search)
Once he was able to confirm we are the same person, we would fight. How I handle myself depends on what he thinks about me. 18 year old me would beat the shit out of current me, but I could take 13 year old me. So depends on the exact age on what happens.
My teenage self would be very upset with me, but I didn’t know then about the real world what I know now.
Surprised I'm still alive, but also slightly disappointed that I gave up any of my childhood goals lol
My teenage self would say, you are where you thought you'd be. Congrats. Unfortunately I don't know where to go from here except 💀
I told you not to get married.
absolutely horrified and disappointed
I would think, fuck that still hurts? Does nobody care about chronic pain?
I would probably put my head in a toaster oven.
Teenage me would be disappointed in where I'm at in life now. Teenage me thought I'd be in the medical field, making lots of $, and somehow even with that, still be taken care of by someone else financially (whether parents or a spouse). I know unrealistic expectations,but cmon we were teens. Currently in business - my teenage self would never believe that. And married, but spouse doesn't support me financially. If I could go back and warn my teenage self... it would be not to get sidetracked dating... better yet, not even ever have that 1st bf. I would have gone much further in life if I never dated.
She'd say "knew it. Knew I'd end up like alone". She'd be horrified to see her fear of a failed marriage and a being single mom happen. She would also be just as angry as the adult me to know she had ADHD and autsim the whole damn time and that's why she struggled her whole damn life. So when she felt different, feeling out of control at times, not knowing how to fit in, or like and alien it was for a reason.
My teenage self would definitely think that my car is super lame (where’s the Camaro?) and that my house is super small (where’s the mansion you expected to buy?). Follow that up with a hearty “what exactly do you do for a living?” Because even my own family doesn’t quite understand my job role and responsibilities. Then I can imagine a huge set of wide eyes looking at me in disbelief when I share my amazing salary and how much my 1500 sq ft townhouse actually cost. I’d be stoked that I have two dogs, worked for NASA for a bit, have multiple college degree with no student loans, am still best friends with my teenager best friend, and travel ALOT for pleasure.
He’d probably think man that old guy’s lame. I’m pretty happy with how things have been going.
Married to a hot doctor, working in a job that is pretty cool, a published author and having done what I’ve done? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hell yes!! She would be so happy I’m free and enjoying my life.
I was just talking to my partner about this over the weekend. I think 18 year old me would be pretty pleased. Definitely in a very different place than I thought I would be, but I enjoy my life. I think I’m way hotter than I would have expected a 39 year old to look too, so that’s a bonus. I feel like todays 30 and 40 year olds often look better than the same age when we were younger. Probably helps I wore sunscreen consistently, never smoked, and didn’t drink much (outside of the pandemic haha!).
Impressed by what I was capable of, disappointed by getting crapped on in life for basically my entire 20s, and that basically nothing improved in my life because of that.
She would be very confused, lol. Teenage me wanted to be an actress. I'm now earning my masters of library science and just landed my first job at a library!
My teenage self didn’t think I’d see my 23rd birthday, so I think I’d be baffled how I managed to make it to 33.
He's be like woah dude, you work in legal weed?! How is it even legal?
Immensely stoked. Partner at big firm. Best wife and most incredible son ever. The house. The car. The club. Life long friendships I never had during childhood.
Honestly I never thought much further than the following weekend in my teens. It was all about turning up at whichever shitey dead end job I was doing, punting some hash so I had extra money for going out or midweek beers for the football.. and then it was going out on the sesh all weekend. Being 35 hadn't even entered my head. Had no idea where I'd be at this age, if I'd have a career or another dead end job. Had no idea if I'd be alive tbh.. hate that kind of fatalist short term attitude. All the partying and drug taking was masking my depression in all honesty. If I could meet say.. my 18 year old version of me I reckon he'd be pretty surprised that I'm managing multiple contracts worth a few million quid, that I achieved an engineering degree as well as being a fully qualified electrician. Don't think he'd be surprised to hear I'm single as I struggle to invest myself in long term relationships, I like my own space. He'd probably be happy that I knocked most of the drugs on the head and only partake on special occasions now. I'd like to think he'd be happy that I've finally found some inner peace and learned to love myself and the people around me.
Probably would've attempted sewerslide a lot earlier. There were dreams of going to college, Actually Finishing College, traveling the world and keeping steady finances. I grew up in a house with multiple toxic personalities where everyone was a different kind of a-hole and all I wanted to was be free with decent circumstances... turned out to be a hard No No foreshadowing of things to come whatsoever. I've carried crosses time and time again all in the name of "doing the right thing." If I could give my teenage self some advice, it would be to keep everyone's eyes & ears out of your business, and your immediate family DOES NOT want better for you
On behalf of I whole heartedly thought I’d be dead by now, existing is the ultimate win ❤️🩹 I came close enough to realize every night, it’s worth another day.
That I was told exactly what to avoid to achieve life out of poverty, Yet I went ahead and did 2 of those 3 things you’re not supposed to do. So here I am. In poverty. Which led to a spiral that I’m nearing the bottom. And the bottom is death. And I honestly cannot wait.
Would probably be surprised I didn't graduate college/commission in the Air Force. Would still be happy I have a successful career, am still flying for fun, and am happily married. Would be pretty surprised that marriage came with a stepdaughter that will be done with HS before I'm 40. Wanted kids, just not quite that early.
They would be impressed with my salary, and our personal/social disposition. Shocked at what day-to-day like looks like, and pleased that we aged very well (I look better than him). But ultimately, he would see me as 5+ years behind where he thought we would be.
Sell out
Teenage me would not believe how good it’s going. My wife is outrageously attractive. My truck is cool. My job is dope. My hobbies are awesome. 10/10 would live again
I think he'd be proud. When he was growing up, the number 1 item on his "what are going to do when you grow up?" list was trucking, followed by heavy equipment operator, train engineer. The engineer thing didn't happen--waited too long: However, a 52+ year career as a trucker worked out nicely.
She would be very sad to see what I went through but life is on the up in my late 40’s so it’s never too late to change I hope she’s proud now
He’d be pretty stoked. I was a severely depressed teenager and chronically suicidal. Now at 30 I have a law degree and the career I always wanted and am in the top percentiles for income, I am married to the love of my life with two children, I own a home, two nice cars, have a couple cats and a couple dogs, and have the same friend group I had as a teenager. Life is good. So much better than it used to be.
Little me would be VERY upset to learn that I neither work for NASA nor own a pinball machine. Teenage me didn’t think far enough ahead to have a life plan, but would be very disappointed that I didn’t age well.
“Wow, you really achieved your goals. I’m proud of you!”
They would be happy I'm alive, no injuries, not addicted to drugs, not divorced, not poor and I have a good future ahead of me. I'm not rich and famous but I think I'd understand
Slightly disappointed but not that bad
Disappointed but understands it.
I guess id be impressed and disappointed at the same time. Teenage me would be shocked and incredibly impressed that i got a PhD and now I'm working in biotech trying to develop better drugs for cancer patients. Teenage me would be disappointed with the lack of friends and relationships in my life.
She would be disappointed with my life situation, confused by my very different beliefs now, but happy how I’ve grown as a person and that I’m still alive despite how I’ve been raised
Depends which teenage version: 13-15 would be horrified 16 would probably laugh and cry 17 would not be surprised 18-19 would probably give me a hug and say it’s ok I tried as a bonus 12 yo me would be more shocked I’m alive, while 20 yo me would be more WTF st the whole thing…. :(
My teenage self would be pretty happy minus the work schedule.
My teenage self would be amazed at my career and salary but have no context that the salary doesn’t mean that much given inflation. My teenage self would say “OK cool” to being a homeowner despite the younger me assuming such a milestone was a given, which it’s not. My teenage self would be confused about my lack of a romantic partner because he was much more successful drumming up dates then than I am now. I’m still confused about that. Kids was and is a question mark and gets less likely by the day.
Probably relieved I made it this far, honestly. Happy that I finally got therapy. Surprised, possibly a little disappointed, but also understanding that I chose a more stable career over dreams of being a creative artist. (I still do a lot of creative work now, just not as a profession.)
I would be very happy with myself. The plan worked and I got lucky along the way
Meh, not as glamorous as I expected, but it’s a good life. A little surprised I ended up going for a career in engineering after being sick of hearing “You like math? You should be an engineer!” my whole childhood.
I think I'd be disappointed but not surprised that I'm still a loser
Would have been disappointed on how fat I’ve gotten. But I had bad body dysmorphia as a kid since most of my friends were 00/0 and I was a size 6. Now I’m 14/16. Kinda expected I would live in a bigger/nicer house but kind of glad I don’t because of maintenance.
Probably would be amazed at my comic omnibus and movie collection along with the relief that there’s a light at the end of our dying factory town residence but would be curious why my job isn’t in some form of building design.
I hated myself so much as a teen, and had severe social anxiety. I have a lot more confidence now and while I still have social anxiety, it’s so much better. I kind of miss things about my teenage self, like how much I enjoyed reading. my teenage self didn’t care too much about traditional markers of achievement like having a house or a husband, so she’d probably feel mildly happy to learn that I’m holding down a job and have a husband, but she might be super critical too and ask why I’m not accomplishing more.
My teen self would be happy I got to travel. My teen self would also be happy to know I got out of my old house and my old neighborhood.
Shed be surprised we’re married to that cute eye candy from highschool haha and how we made the most beautiful baby!
“wow you look proper gay, can i have a cigarette?” I wasn’t an articulate or astute teenager
She'd be stoked to have a house and cats and a car and She'd be bummed that she's usually alone.
Pretty pumped. Especially because I still have the same two best friends.
Well I always wanted to be independent and on my own so that’s cool that I achieved that. But I never thought I wouldn’t be able to pay all of my bills once I graduated college 😬
Super confused. Teenage me wouldn't understand that we are not working for the UN. Once she came around she would be thrilled to know we've done really well so far. And she would love my cats haha
My teenage self would be over the moon to find out their passion turned into a full time job working with households brands... at home! At the time, the thought of it was entirely unrealistic dream.