Dear world,

I just want to let you know that I may not know who I am exactly right now, but I know who I'm not. I don't conform to the ideals that you set for normal teenage females. I don't dress like others because I specifically want to emulate them, I don't cut my hair because my hair style has gone out of fashion, I don't act differently in front of certain people in order to fit in. I won't be peer pressured; I do what I want to do. I listen to my parents when it really counts. I learn from my mistakes. I have loved, been loved, been sad, angry, frightened, depressed, confused, happy, joyous. I have been every emotion in the world. I have been almost every type of person in the world trying to figure out who I am. I have lied, I have stole, I have cheated at a game of Monopoly. I've lived a life that my parents can be proud of ... mostly. There's some things that parents just don't want to know about their children. I hold resentment, I hold grudges. It's not easy for me to forgive and forget to matter how many times I'm told I should. I have trust issues; I never trust anyone fully. I have issues with getting emotionally close to people. I hate seafood, I dislike any kind of mint and chocolate mixture and I really like chocolate cheese cake. I may not know exactly who I am, but I know a damn lot more than you do about me.

I will not be treated like a baby because of people percieve me to be one. I will not be labelled as I do not believe that I can be labelled accurately. I'm me. My own person. This is my life, and I'll live it the way that I want to. I don't need people coming into my life and telling me what I can and can't do with it. I don't need your help, your sympathy, your guidance. I've made it through the last 17 and a half years without it. Let me live my life how I want to live it.