"When You Were.."

So tonight, after having a big fight with my parents (which for those of you who care, I hardly EVER fight with my parents) I went into my room and turned up my cd player really loud and then proceeded to look through some of my old notebooks. In the notebooks I have kept old letters from retreats and things I've written myself. So while I'm looking through these in a somewhat depressed mood, I found this old poem I wrote my senior year. I remember at the time I was writing it I was obsessed with Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and I sent it in. I guess it was not unique enough for them to take it... I'll let you decide for that yourselves on whether they were right or not.

When you were…

When you were born, you leaned on your parents for everything. You were helpless.
When you were one, you still leaned on your parents, but you had your own form of transportation. On all fours.
When you were two, you began to express your needs in small words and sentences.
When you were three you began to wonder about everything around you. You asked many questions from “What is that?” to “Why does my shirt have ducks on it?”
When you were four, your vocabulary grew into sentences strung together to carry on a conversation and you became curious about even more things then before.
When you were five, you could put clothes on your body without any help. You could count and write your name.
When you were six you could add and subtract. You could tie your own shoes and rode your bike without training wheels. Accomplishments that you were quite proud of at the time.
When you were seven you learned how to read and found how your imagination can go wild while reading a book.
When you were eight, you learned how to multiply and divide. You learned the importance of sharing and treating others with kindness.
When you were nine you could go to slumber parties. You knew how to use the phone. You learned appreciation for music while learning to play the piano.
When you were ten you were in your first play. You helped with the chores and met your first obstacle in friendship.
When you were eleven you began shooting hoops, and although you were by far not the best, the fact that you never gave up taught you to never give up on your dreams and goals. You also learned to be a good sport during softball and these are some important things to never give up.
When you were twelve you understood the pain of losing a close friend whom you never really truly lost because your memories are always with you and that you cannot lose.
When you were thirteen you learned the joys of being an aunt. You learned to catch and toss a football just as good as the guys which proved that girls are just a good as guys in quite a few things.
When you were fourteen you learned the damage a lie can do to one’s reputation. You learned that gaining back another’s trust is hard work and once gained back should NEVER be lost again.
When you were fifteen you learned the pain of rejection and how you get over it. After all he wasn’t worth it anyway.
When you were sixteen you began to realize the importance of your friends and how much they can make you a better person then you would have been without them. You learned how to say “No” to anything you knew would get you into trouble.
When you were seventeen you learned of fears of the future. You learned just how much you love your family. You begin to enjoy every minute of your last year of childhood and remember everything about being a young woman.
When you were eighteen you learned the true meaning of the saying, “These are the good old days” just a little late. You realize just how wise your mother was when she said, “Don’t grow up to fast or you’ll regret it.” You also learn how to take all those valuable lessons you learned from childhood throughout life because these are some of the most valuable lessons you could ever learn.