Hey, this is you, when you were 15...

Dear Stranger that once was me, I'm writing this letter as a request from my overbearing father to apologize for one thing. You remember, 10 years back, when for the first time in your life, you did something completely reckless, outrageous, maybe even life-threatening, and got caught. See, this is supposed to be an apology for all that, because supposedly I put you at risk. But really, my only regret is that last part: getting caught... The truth is, I'd never really felt alive before that day. I've never been in love before, and I'm not going to pretend I have any fucking clue what "love" means. But I can tell you right now, I felt something, and for just a few hours, my brain shut the fuck up, and my heart did all the thinking. I had an amazing time, and if nothing else, it served as a reminder to my parents that I am growing up. Sure, a month of being grounded sucked, but it was almost worth it... Now my dad's giving me this bullshit about never being able to trust me again. But that's completely unfair. I mean, we all have to fuck up once in our lives, get caught, and figure out that maybe what seemed like a good idea at the time wasn't really the best decision... I made one mistake, and I was grounded for a month. I've learned my lesson, so to speak, and you'd think my parents would go back to treating me like their daughter again. I suppose the real purpose of this letter - well, what I would like to be the real purpose of this letter - is to tell you not to make the same mistakes my parents did in dealing with me. When you settle down and have kids, never lose this...rebellious flare that I have now. When your kids fuck up, which undoubtedly they will, don't look at them like you've lost all faith in them, or get outraged that they're not the innocent little children that they used to be. Because they're not, and they never will be again, and your job will not be to punish them and beat them down until all that mischief and curiousity inside of them has died; but to try to redirect those essential but troublesome aspects of their personalities into safer outlets. At this point, they are no more your children, than they are the children of the world. Don't turn them into lifeless drones, or try to control who they are and what they do. They'll only disobey you. Act as a mentor, and not a heartless disciplinarian, and your kids will listen. Thanks for taking the time to read this. I only wish there were some way you could write back...