When I graduated from high school, I thought I was finished with that chapter of my life. But recently, things that I did in high school that I never expected to do again have started to creep into my existance:
1. yell at boys from moving cars
In high school, way back before smart phones or cell phones for that matter, my friends and I would communicate with boys by yelling out of car windows. And today, even with these technological advances, I still find myself cruising through the hood, windows rolled down, yelling at the boys in my path: Is your mom home? How was the game? Get out of the street!
2. sneak out of the house at night
If you can just wait until they’re sleeping, you might be able to tip toe to the back door avoiding all creaking floorboards, and make your escape before they call out, Where are you going? We did it to our parents. Now we do it to our kids.
3. sneak back into the house at night
And once you get out, you have to get back in. Can you make it down the hall, shoes in hand, slip into bed unnoticed without having to fess up to how much you had to drink or pausing for one of those uncomfortable conversations where you think you’re doing an awesome job acting totally sober?
4. curl my hair
Every time I plug in my curling iron, I think, Is this really happening? Then I have traumatizing flashbacks of really, really bad bangs. But yes, wavy hair is in, flat irons are out. So goes the circle of hair.
5. make a run for the border
Sometimes I think the worst part about being an adult is having to think about dinner every single day. That’s where cheap fast food comes in. After school, after practice, the only thing to do is hit up the Taco Bell drive through.
6. be obsessed with split ends
In high school, I spent hours, mostly in class, combing through my shoulder length locks looking for the mother of all split ends. You know the one girls, the one that looks like a palm frond has taken residency in your hair. Now that I’m wearing my hair a little longer and I can pull it in front of my eyes, I’ve resumed my quest for that big mama split end.
7. smuggle alcohol
This would be a whole lot better if we had some booze…I’m still always plotting for a way to bring alcohol into functions that are supposed to be dry. But instead of school dances and varsity basketball games, I’m scoping out movie night at the kids’ school, the festival at the park, and Little League games.
8. count the days until spring break
Growing up in the Florida panhandle, Panama City was just a short drive away which meant Club MTV was right in my back yard. The countdown to spring break was intense. Getting all of your cut offs perfectly frayed was no joke. I’m still counting down to spring break, but now it involves totaling how many days in a row I don’t have to pack lunches and how many days the elastic in my six-year-old swimsuit will hold up.
9. make cut offs
Last summer I made a pair of cut-off’s and tried to mask it as a reuse what you have, way to save money, Pinterest worthy project. And then I wore them. A lot.
10. use my period to get out of gym
Clutching my stomach, I lie motionless on the living room floor. There is no way in hell I can exercise today. Must stay home and keep an eye on Instagram. And the Emmy goes to…
11. listen to 90’s rap
A friend tipped me off to a new radio station that plays only 90’s rap. Leaving Target the other day, I heard Say He’s Just a Friend go into Nuthin’ but a G Thang right into Warren G and Regulate. I seriously thought I would lose my mind. I find myself saying to the peeps in the back seat (my children), What? What did you say? I can’t hear you over Snoop Dogg.
12. worry about being old
Back in the day, I spent a lot of time worrying and contemplating whether I looked old enough. Now I spend a lot of time worrying and contemplating whether I look too old. I ask myself things like, Am I too old to buy the Taylor Swift album? (My use of the word album suggests yes.) And, Am I too old to wear these cut offs?
Oh high school. I didn’t think I would still be engaging in the same shenanigans this many years later. I guess it’s true–the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Ha! Love it – great read!
Thanks Meagan – and thanks for living with my cut offs at the beach for a week, and not shaming me about them!
Lol at yelling at boys from cars. Like daily. And cut offs are in! I totally did that last summer too because you try finding a pair of shorts that weren’t styled for my granny or so short my lady bits were peeking out. Had to make my own so I could have a reasonable length!
I also have a hard time finding shorts, in fact I had give-up completely and switched to maxi skirts. But my custom length jean shorts did me pretty darn well.
I just had flashbacks to sneaking out and back in and getting totally busted! LOVED this – happy to meet you!
Thanks for coming by Kristen. I was much better at sneaking out of other people’s houses than my own. Somehow other people’s parents weren’t quite as scary. Although it was always me that ended up grounded. The injustice!
Budget. I swear I don’t have more discretionary (aka fun) money than I did as a teen. Going to the movies, AND getting popcorn is still a big deal.
Of course, the price of movie tickets and popcorn is almost like taking out a loan now, but geez, the whole, “When I’m a grown up, I’ll *insert impossible thing now that there are bills to pay, and other sucky adult repsonsibility things*” just never came to be.
Right? I think we forgot to factor in all of the OTHER responsibilities!
Great read. The best as an adult is blowing off work or chores and hanging out with friends. That can make my week!
Yes! Skipping out on responsibilities totally takes me back to my days of truancy. Great addition.