Teenage Confessions -- Ok, I Admit It, I've Made My Fair Share of Mistakes!

You'd never believe it if I told you. . .

When I was thirteen years old, living in the suburbs of Chicago. . .wow, not sure if I should really tell you this. . .

I was young, curious.  I wanted to try new things.  I want to fit in and be cool so I . . .

Hmm, well, my best friend at the time Carolyn (*name changed to protect identity) had a neighbor friend named Julie.  She was in high school.  We thought she was amazing.  She was a rule-breaker.  She was quite different than the follow-the-rules-Christian-school-girls that we were.  We were fascinated and drawn in.

She introduced us to many things.  Yes, cigarettes were included.  So, Carolyn and I bought a pack for ourselves.  We would sit in her room with window cracked open during the middle of winter and smoke a few.  We also took long walks around the block showing off with a cigarette in our hands and circular puffs of smoke coming from our lips.

Yes, we were in the "in" crowd.  One thing led to another.  We wondered how Julie got such nice clothes, bags and jewelry.  So, she showed us how she went about it. 

First she taught Carolyn.  On a trip to the mall, Julie demonstrated how to take the security tags off of a handbag and then fill it with all the things she wanted to return home with (of course, without paying for a dime of it).

Then, Carolyn showed me the ropes.  So, for months, either Carolyn's parents or mine would drop the two of us besties at the mall to "shop."  Little did our parents know what we were up to.  Each time I returned from the mall, I'd hide the goods in the back of my closet.

Summertime arrived.  And, like every year, I went away to the sleep-over camp sponsored by our Christian youth group.  Each camp day we had a chapel session where a speaker shared ideas from God's word.  Oh, did I feel guilty inside.  I was miserable.  I was unhappy and scared.  I knew what I had been doing was not right.  So, finally, one day, I knew I needed to go forward after the service to ask for prayer and counseling.

I went home feeling a burden had been lifted.

Little did I know that while I was away, my mom decided to clean out my room.  Yes, and she even decided to tidy up my closet.  She was shocked by what she found --makeup, earings, necklaces, purses. . . loads of goods that I had accumulated stealing from area stores.  She immediately called Carolyn's parents.  Carolyn had not gone to camp.  So her parents sat her down and the truth came out.

I arrived home from camp.  From the look on my parent's faces I knew something was wrong.  I got home and they sat me down to talk.  They brought out the piles and piles of stolen goods and asked me what had been going on.  I confessed. They made me go and confess my wrongs to my younger brother to further humble me. 

My parents were too smart. They then made me go back to the stores and give back all the things I had taken.  Talk about having a heart that was going to pound out of my chest.  The stores couldn't prosecute me because I was so young.  So they gave me a stern talking too and told me never to enter their store again.

Why do I bother to confess all this to you?  I decided to air my dirty laundry to let you know that none of us are perfect.  We all have mistakes from our past (and even from our present).  The most important thing is to LEARN and GROW from each and every experience.  Clearly, these teenage issues are long gone, but the lessons I gained from the situation have stayed with me for life.  The errors of my ways have allowed me to relate to young people who are trying so hard to fit in and be cool.

As you enter 2013, why not come to terms with your "mistakes and failures"?  Why not glean the harvest of wisdom these situations offer you?  It's time to own your past and march even stronger and wiser into 2013.

I despise the smell and taste of cigarettes now.  Because of those early mistakes I stayed away from drugs and alcohol as a teenager and young adult.  I was focused and had to take ownership of my actions.  These early mistakes paved the way for the focus and determination I brought to the basketball court as I finished high school.  Nothing would distract me.

Everything we experience is tremendously value IF we learn from it.

So, today, I celebrate your "mistakes" with you because each one is helping to grow you into your potential if you choose to gleen the lessons from it.

Happy New Year,

Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr.
http://www.patriciaomoqui.com