Last week I decided to throw my son a surprise birthday party for his 16th birthday. The previous week, he was undecided as to whether or not he even wanted to invite people over so I decided to take the initiative and do it myself. I hijacked his cell phone and texted a friend of his to tell other friends. I also contacted a couple moms of boys he’s friends with. Up until the day of the party, I wasn’t sure how many would come. Friday night as they arrived in cars of 2-3 people, I saw my son’s face and I knew he was happy. More kids than I thought showed up (of course), and although it made me nervous watching 16 year old boys and girls in the pool and then trying to watch them in the dark at the firepit, I was happy. Being a teenager is hard. As I sat there watching them interact I thought about myself at 16 and what, if I could, tell my 16 year old self. OK, keep in mind, when I was 16, I was super shy (introvert remember) and a little geeky. On the other hand, at 16, I was on a TV show and my mom entered me in a couple beauty pageants to break me of my shyness and instill confidence; fortunately and unfortunately, I won those. I played varsity tennis, was in showchoir and did the school plays, the stage allowed me to be a different person. Because of all this, my shyness and introversion were misconstrued as self absorption and stuck up by most, leaving me even more insecure. Despite the insecurities of my teenage self, I had a few close friends and still had fun.
So what would I tell my 16 year old self?
- Don’t grow up too fast, live your life and have fun
- Dream big
- Be yourself and don’t let another person change you
- Take risks because life is short
- There will always be critics, either ignore them or prove them wrong
- Be grateful, love people
The list of lessons could go on and on. It’s kinda the same stuff I have to remind myself of daily, even now. I think between responsibilty and daily living, we forget. I’m thankful for all the lessons I’ve learned along the way, would I have changed some things? No doubt, but I know one thing for sure, I’m glad I’m not 16 anymore!
Today I wear NYX Round lipstick in Hero. You can find these lipsticks at Ulta or order them online. Surprisingly NYX make up is pretty great. This lipstick is both moisturizing and fairly long lasting. They have a wide variety of inexpensive products, in fact, this lipstick runs around $4! I chose this color because I’m still in my fiery ‘red’ mood and I love the name. Who doesn’t want to be a hero? Cheers!
Anna's Lipstick Journey 
❤ Being 16 for this old gal was both exhilarating and horrid! I loved driving (still do) and I hated who I was. I was a mess! Looking back is hard forme always,but raising kids tends to make you see yourself at their age and for the most part, they always surpassed my memories. Now they are I their 40’s and I think I had it better in my 40’s they any of them because my kids were raised and out on their own. They are still raising their kids and some are not even I school yet. Seems a long road to me.
Hi Jo! 16 was rough for me too. 40 plus seems tough at times, but at least I feel a little more confident!