Hey kid,

I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you recently. I hope starting middle school wasn’t as scary as you thought.

I talked to Mom the other day — she told me you opened up to her. I know she can be a little overbearing with things like this. I promise that her lack of response was nothing more than a silent acceptance. Not a rejection.

Honestly, I wouldn’t even worry about it. She’ll make some pretty questionable remarks down the road, but I know she means well. She won’t even bring it back up until you’re older.

Focus on yourself because you are more than what folks think of you.

Rather than continuing my joke of an encouragement piece, I want to hear about all that you’ve been doing. Have you made new friends? What is your new school like? Also, don’t forget to do your homework!

Much love,

GNB

To my favorite tween,

I’m sure you won’t be too happy about me calling you a “tween,” huh? What do they call y’all nowadays? Anyways, not the point.

Congratulations on all this new fame that you’ve got going on at school. It’s not easy being a childhood celebrity, feeling like there’s all these lights and cameras on you. Although most of the attention is positive, it’s hard to not get wrapped up in what other people think. Why does it matter so much anyways?

I know you’re going to read this and roll your eyes, but everything seems more dramatic in middle school. To your surprise, high school is worse.

Biology lab isn’t the only experimentation the other girls are doing. Unfortunately, you’re the frog and they’re dissecting it. It happens over and over. Like a washed up celebrity, everyone wants a piece of you as they try to make it into Hollywood themselves.

You are what is most important; always put yourself first. It can be hard to remember sometimes. Who would’ve thought this would garner so much attention?

You are confident. You are strong.

You’ve got this!

GNB

My dear senioritis patient,

I heard you’ve been really overwhelmed with seeing Dad recently. Personally, I think the whole visitation thing is stupid, especially at that age. I know it’s not incentivizing to see him when he doesn’t show up half the time.

Plus, you always feel worse after seeing him.

There isn’t anything better than doing well on a test or placing first at a competition and being told it wasn’t enough. “I’m proud of you” has never been a part of his vocabulary, and don’t expect it to change anytime soon.

Everything you do will be a “distraction,” and it won’t align with the life he wants you to live.

But why would you live a life that somebody else created for you? Does that sound fulfilling?

Your success should only be important to you. What you achieve doesn’t have anything to do with him. There will come a point where you no longer have to hide what you’re studying, what you enjoy doing or the people that are important to you.

Who cares what he thinks? He can’t be at your wedding anyways.

It will all make sense in time. For now, keep your head up.

Best,

GNB

Dear my closest friend,

Have you been doing okay? On my way in, I noticed you were throwing things out.

Breakups never get easier, no matter how old you are. I promise sleeping around after the fact is not going to make it any better either.

Trust me. It won’t.

The approval of your partner’s parents is important to you, but how important should it be as the “best friend.”

I know what it’s like, knowing she doesn’t talk about you to her friends because she’s scared they wont accept her.

I know what it’s like to slowly lose someone to the opinion of others.

I know what it’s like to help someone through their journey to then be pushed aside for a man because it’s easier on the family.

You have to let them figure it out on their own, just like you’ve been doing for yourself. One day, you’ll meet someone who is proud to call you theirs. You’ll be winded by the abrupt entrance she has in your life.

You’ll be anxious. You’ll be nervous. But you’ll know it’s right.

Never settle for anything less than what you deserve. You’ll be surprised how much you learn from her and how much you grow.

Trust in yourself,

GNB

The journey of self acceptance and learning who you are is never linear nor the same for everyone.Though it may feel like the prospect of coming out makes you who you are, it is only a small piece of the entire puzzle.

There is more to you than your sexuality.

You won’t have it all figured out nor will you know the answers right away. It takes time and patience. It takes trials and tribulations.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Regardless of your journey, the most important part is that it’s your journey. The experiences are personal. The lessons learned are unique to you. It has nothing to do with anyone else.

It’s all your own.