An Open Letter to Your Teen Daughter on How to Survive the Pandemic
Mind if I talk to your daughter for a minute?
Today’s post is my open letter to her, inspired by an Instagram LIVE I hosted last week for teens.
I realized I should share with my blog readers what I shared with those girls in the event your daughter didn’t have the opportunity to join.
So, here goes…
My Message to Your Daughter
Hi, my name is Jackie Brewton.
I’ve had the amazing opportunity to hang out with teens for the past 18 years and rumor has it I’m pretty relatable (which proves that miracles still happen)…
“I feel as if I can relate to you and I could tell you personal issues.”
“It’s like you’re one of us.
You understand us very well and you’re really funny!”
“I really like how you relate to our age group.
When you were talking, I could feel a connection,
like you knew what it is like in our current generation.”
Seriously, it has been the most rewarding 18 years of my life!
First, I want to acknowledge that this can be a very scary time for you.
It’s normal to feel anxious, but just know you’re not alone.
I know it may have become cliché, but we really are all in this together.
If you’re a senior, I just want to say I’m sorry your senior year will not end the way you envisioned it.
My heart breaks for you.
You have worked so hard to get to this place and you should be proud of all you’ve accomplished!
My prayer is that schools and families will find a way to celebrate those accomplishments in an even bigger way when this is all over.
Even if you’re not a senior, when you get older, you’re going to look back on this time in history and recall your memories.
But here’s the thing: To a certain degree, you get to determine what those memories will be.
Starting now.
Will they be memories of you being miserable and constantly complaining about how unfair it is this had to happen?
Or will they be memories of a time in your life when you learned a new hobby, discovered a love for reading, or connected with your family in a way you didn’t think was possible?
Will this be the time when you discovered that being bored provides the perfect opportunity to awaken the creativity inside of you?
Will it be the moment in time you fell in love with yourself and realized that although hanging out with friends is nice, there’s nothing like learning to enjoy your own company…being your own best friend?
Don’t Overlook This Gift
In my 18 years of speaking to teen girls, I’ve heard complaints more times than I can count about how stressful their lives are…between trying to manage sports, band, clubs, volunteering, studying and chores.
Though it may not seem like it now, and I would certainly rather it not happen as a result of a pandemic, you (along with the rest of the world), have been given a gift.
The gift of TIME.
Time to slow down and breathe…do life differently.
Time to not have to juggle two or three extracurricular activities in addition to school work and family commitments.
Time to practice hobbies and discover new skills.
A second complaint I hear from teen girls is that their parents don’t spend time with them like they desire.
Hopefully, this will change now that the world as we knew it has come to a halt.
During your time out of school, you can create wonderful memories with your family by enjoying dinner together, doing TikTok challenges, playing board games, or even something as simple as taking a walk through the neighborhood.
There are so many possibilities!
Whatever you do, please don’t waste this precious time you’ve been given by spending it locked in your room in front of a screen.
That would be a tragedy (and no, I’m not exaggerating).
The bottom line is this…
You can look at this pandemic as the time that temporarily ruined your life.
Or you can find the silver lining and look at it as the time you had the opportunity to reimagine your life.
And now’s the perfect time to ask yourself:
- “What does this make possible?”
- “What memories do I want to create of this time period in my life?”
- “How can I use this time to strengthen my relationship with my family?”
From Me to You
I never give teen girls advice without applying it to my own life.
So, I’ve asked myself the same questions above that I’ve shared with you.
And I’m excited about a new resource that’s coming as a result of one of my answers.
Over the past week, I’ve been busy working on a gift to give you that would help this time away from school be a learning experience about valuing yourself no matter what your relationship status may be and making healthy choices before you ever get in one.
I promise, this is the gift you never knew you needed!
So, stay tuned. You’ll hear more about it in the next week or so.
Until then, be sure to check me out on Instagram (@JackieBSpeaks) where I’ve been doing IG lives for teens during the quarantine.
We have some great discussions you won’t want to miss.
See you soon!
P.S. If you have any questions, you’d like me to answer on IG Live feel free to hit me up in my DM’s. I personally read them all and will respond.
P.P.S. Be sure to share this letter with your friends so they can get the gift and join the fun!
And a gift for my moms….
