My first tag (thank you Syrian Brit)! Actually, my second, but I haven’t responded to that one yet (don’t want to jump ahead in the book I’m attempting to read in between a million commitments and tasks).
Apparently I need to list the rules of this particular tag first, then get on with it, so here goes:
1. Post these rules before presenting your list.
2. List 6 actions or achievements you think every person should accomplish before turning 18.
3. There are no conditions on what can be included on the list.
4. At the end of your blog, choose 6, or less, people to get tagged and list their names.
5. People who are tagged write their own blog entry with their 6 suggestions.
6. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.
I’m not sure if I should list a wish list of things I should have done before I hit 18, or things I actually did (spontaneously) and in retrospect would recommend to other pre-18 year olds. Maybe both? I’ll just start writing and see where this takes me.
1. Every 18 year old should have had sex. Yeah, yeah, I know, not exactly recommended or popular in our culture, but wouldn’t it have allowed us to move past our frustrated obsession with the opposite sex and our pent-up raging hormones to concentrate on other things? Definitely one for the wish list!
2. Every 18 year old should have lived away from home. I went away to boarding school at the age of 16 and had a blast (discounting the pent up raging hormones of number 1). Contrary to popular belief, I had a blast without comprising on personal responsibility. Basically, while all the kids around me who stayed home were being monitored carefully by their parents, I was far and away, unmonitored and unshackled. However, the fact that my parents trusted me turned me into a good little girl. I did almost nothing that would have worried my parents. I had the utmost freedom to do anything I liked in an environment that was very open, but since I didn’t have anyone to rebel against, I didn’t do any of the usual rebellious things teenagers do. Which brings us back to point number 1: we tend to obsess about things out of our reach. Once in reach, they lose their fascination.
3. Every 18 year old should have travelled and lived among “foreigners”. I came away with an acceptance and appreciation of others at a very early age that I have carried with me ever since. It’s a value that I value a lot.
4. Every 18 year old should have discovered and developed talents that are not school-related. With so much emphasis placed on excelling at school, other aspects of our development are relegated to second place, and sometimes even frowned upon. I tried a lot of things: dance, music, arts, drama, sports. I enjoyed everything, and found myself in a few things that still give me immense pleasure to this day.
5. Every 18 year old should have learnt that their self-worth is not measured by extra-weight they carry around. Definitely one for the wish list. Seems contradictory that I would have had so much fun growing up and still had low self-esteem related to being overweight, but I did. However, I’m not sure what my practical advice on that one would be.
6. Every 18 year old should have had the opportunity to be a kid. This one requires little explanation.
I am going to forgo tag rule number 4. Apparently most bloggers I read have already been tagged with this particular tag.
