8 Pieces Of Advice I Would Love To Give My Childhood Self

1. Sleep. You will miss that as you grow up.

Baby, when your mom demands you to sleep, please do. It’s not just because people are saying that mothers know best but because, really, it’s what’s best for you. Sleep rejuvenates your cells and is good for your health. It gives you more energy to do the things that you need to do everyday. I wouldn’t speak scientifically to you about how scientists discovered that sleep is important to our bodies with all its jargonistic vitamins and whatnot – I’d spare you from that. All I want is for you to understand that as you grow up, you would want to try fun, new things and do various exhausting activities. These would take more of your time than your toys and playtimes do. So please, please, please… while you have your time in your hands, do take a nap or rest. I promise you, you wouldn’t regret it.

2. Hug your mom and dad more.

Don’t forget that as you go through life, your parents are aging, too. I don’t mean to scare you by saying this but we, as humans, are never promised tomorrows. All we have is now. Now is the time to live. Now is the time to do the things that you would want to do. Now is the time to say the things that you have always wanted to say. Because we never know what might happen in a course of a year or a day or even just a blink of an eye.

So please, little me, show your mom and dad more love – the kind of love they deserve as the people who are raising you. Show them your gratitude because besides God, they were the first ones to love you even before you existed in this world. I’m telling you, as you become independent and as you go far away from them when you grow up, you’ll realize you will always be your parent’s baby and that you will crave and do just about anything to be cradled in their arms again.

3. Spend more time with your relatives, siblings and friends.

Besides the fact that we’re not sure of the vast galaxies of possibilities that exist on our future, our loved ones deserve some, or even a little, time from us. When you’re studying and when you’re working, you would be too busy to even remember them. So, love, your childhood is the time to play, watch movies, or just simply hang out with them. Don’t wait to grow up and want to stop time just because you’re too tired from this world and you want some quality time with your family. Please, just do it now.

4. It’s okay to cry.

You cry when your mom had to leave you again for another week or weeks of work away from you. You cry when your classmates tease you and say hurtful things. You cry when you feel alone. You cry a lot of times, all of them for different reasons. But what’s all the same is that you cry silently. You don’t want people looking down at you, pitying you, or talking about you. You don’t seek attention. You shed those tears on your own and catch them all by yourself. Now that’s the kind of strong I would salute you for but baby, please don’t be afraid to cry and to show off those tears. Sometimes, you have to own them and be proud of them because afterwards, your eyes are cleansed and more than that, you’re a bit stronger and better person than you were before.

5. Life is not a no-erasers-allowed exam. It’s okay to make mistakes.

Your childhood is the time to experiment with things like to find what you’re good at, where you’re passionate about, or what you want to do in life. There is no teacher here that prohibits you to make a u-turn or an undo button to correct some errors you have made. There is only a God who accepts us as we are – flaws and perfections and all that. He and your family and friends are there to support you all throughout. I just wish you know that so you wouldn’t have to worry about making some mistakes in life. Life can be a trial-and-error process at times, my love. All you have to do is learn from them.

6. Don’t throw tantrums when you don’t get what you want.

If you really want it, then don’t let the world stop you from getting it. Work hard and do your best. Fight for it. If it’s a mere toy you want, then maybe you can save a coin or two per day just to have it. Or in a higher level, if it’s a dream of yours, then don’t give it up. Own it and let it inspire you. It would be easier to push harder when there’s a force behind your back pushing you further to your goals.

7. Keep dreaming.

My love, I know that your mom taught you how to dream big. And now, as I look back, I can see how your eyes sparkle every time you talk about those five big dreams of yours. Speaking of which, they are: 1) Have a big mansion 2) Build a foundation and school for the street children 3) Have a successful company someday 4) Have a tour around the world and 5) Own a 100-room hotel that your family can also stay in.

See? You were just an innocent, little 7-year-old girl who dared to dream of these things. They were big things and quite impossible to achieve when you look at a perspective of a little kid who’s still ignorant of what reality can be. But hey, sweetie, you dreamed and until now, even when those dreams started to evolve into greater and much more purpose-driven life goals, you’ve still held onto them. And more than anything else, that’s what matters the most. Don’t ever let go of them.

8. Don’t let your fears stop you from being you.

Stop caring about what other people think and start caring about what you say about yourself. I know, my love, that you were sometimes bullied in your school. I know that there were times when your 12-year-old self looked in the mirror and saw an unsatisfying image of a girl who didn’t seem to belong in this world. I know that you had inevitably doubted yourself just because you thought you were never enough for this world.

But baby, even though you’re too young to understand me, I want to ask you to negate them. Negate those bad thoughts and ignore those bad people. Don’t let them enter your life and put you down. Stand up and open your door to new things and when, sometimes, you feel like closing this door, you could open your windows to see all the different angles of life. See things differently, my love. There is always a path out of the labyrinths of difficulties and sufferings that you have to encounter. There is always a rainbow waiting for you as you struggle through the rains. Now, I want to tell you a little secret that I have read somewhere, and that, somehow, managed to change my perspective in life: my love, stars can’t shine without darkness.

And baby, you are the star. You can be brighter than the sun, if you choose to look at it that way. You can be a lot more than just a kid who can’t let her voice be heard or her visions be seen. You are worth more, little me. You are more than… so much more than enough.