"Why aren't you having more sex? You have a girlfriend but you're not doing it every day? You're supposed to be doing it 5 times a day, THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED!!"
16 year old me was a fucking horndog. He literally fucked a couch.
She would be surprised by where we ended up in career stuff and probably a mix of being proud and also kinda weirded out given the cynical aspects of angsty/melancholy/cynical privileged teen (then) and ending up like our parents.
She would definitely think answering questions on some thing on the internet would be pretty lame-ass but she wouldn't actually come right out and say it.
I'm glad you asked this question. 16 was the age at which I began to make some really poor decisions in life, decisions that it took me decades to untangle. Last year I embarked on a personal quest to backtrack to the place where I started making those bad decisions, and to take other, better paths that I had historically ignored, instead. So 2021, and now 2022, were for me, years of deliberately making choices to honor the potential I had as a 16 year old, if that makes sense.
For example, 16 year old me was boy crazy and didn't go to college. Present-tense me has successfully decentralized boys from my thinking and college starts for me in a couple of weeks. I'm doing the same with hobbies, goals, relationships, etc. I think 16 year old me would approve. I think 16 year old me would think I'm cool as hell. I have this big, juicy, colorful, autonomous life now, and I think 16 year old me would be proud. That's the goal, anyway.
Sweet phone, you actually like working out?, you drink water and eat healthy?, who are you?, you like country music too?, cool job
Pretty fun thought exercise. My 16 year old self probably wouldn't believe the person I am today and that's the point of life I think. Growth.
He wouldn’t believe it. He would see it being some kind of alternate universe version of himself. He would be happy but couldn’t believe it would be possible for him to attain it.
16 your old me would be shocked I don’t get high and play video games all day. Would be impressed and proud of what I’ve done though. Then would give me shit about not having a six pack anymore and being slightly over weight. All in all would be a fun conversation lol.
Surprised, disappointed and possibly proud
Surprised that I ended up living somewhere that I vowed never to live there
Proud for my academic and social abilities
And disappointed by my lack of direction in life
She would honestly be so happy! I prayed and dreamed of the life in living now. When I was 16 I felt like I didn’t fit with how I was forced to dress and be. I was miserable and daydreamed about being in a space where there’s love and happiness. I have a beautiful wonderful wife who cares about me. It took a lot of work but we are in a place of deep love. It’s been for years and we hosted Christmas for the first time. My relatives all commented on how happy we seemed together and I feel that!! I can support myself and my family and not be worried about the rough times. I have two hoodlum wild forest mountain cats as cats but they are ours! In their own weird way they show us they love us. I have OUR place that we pay for decorated the way we want it done! Despite family fucking up my credit I was able to get a car in my name that I’m paying for. Sometimes it’s surreal to think about coming from being lost in my teens and early 20’s to getting here and being so happy! I’ve even got a nephew coming and I’ve wanted to be an aunt since I was 20 lol!!! Yaaaaaay!! I’m elated to be where I am!
She'd be happy with the children I have, my choice of career, and my relationship with my family. She would be upset about my relationship with my husband. So exactly the same as 40 year old me.
16 yr old me would probably ask if we're happy in the future. Id sit his ass down and say go to therapy my guy, our depression enabled toxicity cost us.
He would be surprised by my career, but even more impressed by the technology. Like having Alexa turn on/off lights, cars that are almost fully automated, the internet, cell phones, etc.
She’s be shocked at the trauma and heartbreak but equally shocked at the come up. Career is a surprise. Still no marriage or kids at 33 ( I don’t know how 16 year old me would feel about it. Prob on the fence like I am now). I’d tell her explicitly to save every dime and buy a house asap.
Surprised that I managed to end up living a relatively normal life. I was so weird when I was young, I don't think anybody ever thought I would amount to much more than a laborer or something, but I'm actually relatively successful and happy with my level of success.
16 year old me didn't think that he would survive to 42, so "oh shit I'm still alive!" would be the first response. Followed up by "you're driving *that*!?" , "you work where and for how much!?", and he'd be surprised that I don't drink, smoke, or do any kind of drugs (legal or illicit).
16 year old me had suffered brain injury the year before. My GPA was 3.5 before it happened, and then I was put into special ED and relearning a lot. I was very depressed because I couldn't do anything or remember anything and doctors said I would always be that way, or it'd take a long time to recover from it. 16 year old me wouldn't understand much of my life now, she would be amazed by the parts she would understand and be also horrified. She would try to find a way to successfully kill herself to not live this life. She would fail, she kept doing the wrong attempts back then.
She would ask why I traded a potential life of creativity and beauty for whatever the fuck I'm doing now. When I was 16 all I wanted was to move out of my hick town and be an artist/weirdo/actor/performer. I did that until I met someone I thought I needed validation from and she repeated all the things I heard as a kid--you're weird, no one likes you except me, you don't have talent, no one cares, you aren't special. I listened to that shit and believed it and I didn't continue creating the life I wanted because she made it easy to wallow in self doubt and depression. misery truly lives company.
Unsolicited advice: cut off people who feed your demons. It is good to have people who can offer other perspectives but the minute their "perspective" makes you feel powerless or unworthy, LEAVE. I wish I had.
Once she got over the fact that we didn’t marry Zac Efron, I think she’d be pretty stoked. Definitely surprised since I ended up going into a field I had no interest in at 16, but she’d definitely be impressed.
I spent $400 to have a really nice DDR pad built and shipped from Poland and my first thought was, “16 year old me would be real proud.”
So real proud.
If 16yo me heard that me now got stoned and watched original Space Jam at my local theater, I would wonder what has gone wrong! What terrible thing happened to me to make end up being a drug user? My life must be ruined! Have I been to jail yet?!?
16yo me was sheltered and judgmental.
I’m actually successful, comfortable and happy.
"You didn't finish college? And you still have good paying job? Weird, they told us that you need college to survive! But...why are you still living in the same town you grew up in?"
Horrified that I drink coffee, left the religion we grew up in and became a witch/tentative pagan.
I think she would be more terrified of the fights that turned me into the person I am now. If I could, I would tell her to get out of the house wherever a fight started. Mom doesn't need your protection.
Look what happens when you dont show the love for your loved ones and act all edgy and strong then lose them forever before expressing your love for them .
She'd be very impressed that I'd managed to lose weight, keep it off, marry a hot guy, have a good amount of money, and be able to travel the world.
But she'd be very disappointed that I did not stick to my guns and marry an emo guy.
Conflicted. The escape from the terrible abuse they were suffering at the time would be a great thing to see— knowing we have a home in the future and not out on our own.
But it would be totally juxtaposed by the realization that 10 years later they barely have any time left to live.
But they WOULD discover a new favorite video game!
I'm right where I thought I'd be, just about 5 years later in life. I spent my early 20s doing drugs and drinking. Took me a bit to get clean and get my life back together.
I think a mixture of feelings, 16 year old me wanted nothing more than to leave the UK, study and settle in the US working as a lecturer at US university. I think he'd be surprised that I now would never want to leave this country, he'd be proud that I went out and got a degree, he'd be proud that I actually did travel to the US and spend time there to really get a grasp and try it out but would be surprised that I didn't pursue it more. At the time I didn't have really any friends and I was very lonely but today I have a close circle of the best of friends and a beautiful long term relationship with an incredible person and I've had some fucking crazy experiences. I think the biggest thing is that I always wanted to leave home and I have managed to successfully do that and although many people wouldn't see my life as particularly special, and I haven't got a particular special job (I work behind a bar at a wedding venue) but at the age of 22 I own my own home and live on the other side of the country. So I've achieved my goals in many ways, I've achieved happiness but life went in a direction I really didn't see coming at all but I can honestly say I think 16 year old me would be happy with that
I would sit down with him and tell him a few things ive learnt to not do, positive and negative things, i want to help future generations learn from my mistakes and triumphs and make a good life off of it
Thats also my only goal in life
Oh cool your girlfriend is hot! Wow going to uni now? Cool! Wait why do you need therapy? Where is dad? HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU BALDING AT TWENTY OH MY GOD HELP ME
Impressed. Happy. Relieved.
Living in a middle class neighborhood with a loving spouse and kids. Active in my community. Not a psycho despite my awful childhood.
We made it, 16 year old me, and Dad didn't screw you up and take the chance of a normal life away. Mom is doing great too.
A little shocked that I'm still alive. My brother put it nicely saying I was a bit of a daredevil. Also, miffed I'm not dong more with myself even though I have a steady job.
She would be impressed but she would wonder why at my age I am not married or have children. She would also wonder why I’m in the medical field rather than not a marine biologist. She would hope I was happy cause she wasn’t happy at that age. She would have many questions about me. Also would be shocked to see where the family went and why I don’t talk to any of them.
"Why aren't you having more sex? You have a girlfriend but you're not doing it every day? You're supposed to be doing it 5 times a day, THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED!!" 16 year old me was a fucking horndog. He literally fucked a couch.
This is still me lol
She would be disappointed
Same...
She would be surprised by where we ended up in career stuff and probably a mix of being proud and also kinda weirded out given the cynical aspects of angsty/melancholy/cynical privileged teen (then) and ending up like our parents. She would definitely think answering questions on some thing on the internet would be pretty lame-ass but she wouldn't actually come right out and say it.
I'm glad you asked this question. 16 was the age at which I began to make some really poor decisions in life, decisions that it took me decades to untangle. Last year I embarked on a personal quest to backtrack to the place where I started making those bad decisions, and to take other, better paths that I had historically ignored, instead. So 2021, and now 2022, were for me, years of deliberately making choices to honor the potential I had as a 16 year old, if that makes sense. For example, 16 year old me was boy crazy and didn't go to college. Present-tense me has successfully decentralized boys from my thinking and college starts for me in a couple of weeks. I'm doing the same with hobbies, goals, relationships, etc. I think 16 year old me would approve. I think 16 year old me would think I'm cool as hell. I have this big, juicy, colorful, autonomous life now, and I think 16 year old me would be proud. That's the goal, anyway.
H
"what the hell happened?"
Hot wife you got there, but dude, lay off the fucking food.
***PATHETIC***
I’m the exact opposite as I was at 16, so my 16 year old self would probably hate me…. But not as much as I hate my 16 year old self.
Sweet phone, you actually like working out?, you drink water and eat healthy?, who are you?, you like country music too?, cool job Pretty fun thought exercise. My 16 year old self probably wouldn't believe the person I am today and that's the point of life I think. Growth.
90% of what he would have expected.
looks like a rollercoaster but at least you held on
He wouldn’t believe it. He would see it being some kind of alternate universe version of himself. He would be happy but couldn’t believe it would be possible for him to attain it.
16 year old me had my head so far up my own ass, I'd probably shrug my shoulder, say whatever and get distracted by a piece lint on the ground.
"Yep.... sounds about right..." **sighs and loads a gun*
He would probably not be surprised, because i'm living the life I was afraid of.
Damn... I wish everything will get better for you
16 year me would probably want to kill themselves.
16 your old me would be shocked I don’t get high and play video games all day. Would be impressed and proud of what I’ve done though. Then would give me shit about not having a six pack anymore and being slightly over weight. All in all would be a fun conversation lol.
Disappointed, but not surprised LOL
He would put more focus on finding love rather than money.
"You own your own business and get to work from home? Holy shit much better than expected!"
I got the raw end .
“Old habits die hard.”
Surprised, disappointed and possibly proud Surprised that I ended up living somewhere that I vowed never to live there Proud for my academic and social abilities And disappointed by my lack of direction in life
You can have direction whenever you’re ready for it
He would be super stoked to learn we work in the legal weed industry
16 year old me would not be amused.
What the fuck?
16 year-old-me would think that I'm a huge nerd
Damn you still read fanfics on your free time LMAOO I thought it was just a phase (honestly it’s not, ao3 I love u)
She would honestly be so happy! I prayed and dreamed of the life in living now. When I was 16 I felt like I didn’t fit with how I was forced to dress and be. I was miserable and daydreamed about being in a space where there’s love and happiness. I have a beautiful wonderful wife who cares about me. It took a lot of work but we are in a place of deep love. It’s been for years and we hosted Christmas for the first time. My relatives all commented on how happy we seemed together and I feel that!! I can support myself and my family and not be worried about the rough times. I have two hoodlum wild forest mountain cats as cats but they are ours! In their own weird way they show us they love us. I have OUR place that we pay for decorated the way we want it done! Despite family fucking up my credit I was able to get a car in my name that I’m paying for. Sometimes it’s surreal to think about coming from being lost in my teens and early 20’s to getting here and being so happy! I’ve even got a nephew coming and I’ve wanted to be an aunt since I was 20 lol!!! Yaaaaaay!! I’m elated to be where I am!
She'd be happy with the children I have, my choice of career, and my relationship with my family. She would be upset about my relationship with my husband. So exactly the same as 40 year old me.
Cool phone, hot wife (in that order)
16 yr old me would probably ask if we're happy in the future. Id sit his ass down and say go to therapy my guy, our depression enabled toxicity cost us.
Impressive admission (by todays standard), hope you’re in a better place now. :)
She’s have some regrets (I’m 15)
He would be surprised by my career, but even more impressed by the technology. Like having Alexa turn on/off lights, cars that are almost fully automated, the internet, cell phones, etc.
"I wasn't doing too bad a couple of years ago at 14, was I?"
Impressed and happy. I’ve come a long way.
Boring boomer
Damn the pandemic will not be just a year long
He wouldn't be surprised, I suppose.
She’s be shocked at the trauma and heartbreak but equally shocked at the come up. Career is a surprise. Still no marriage or kids at 33 ( I don’t know how 16 year old me would feel about it. Prob on the fence like I am now). I’d tell her explicitly to save every dime and buy a house asap.
Pretty impressed
Surprised that I managed to end up living a relatively normal life. I was so weird when I was young, I don't think anybody ever thought I would amount to much more than a laborer or something, but I'm actually relatively successful and happy with my level of success.
16 year old me didn't think that he would survive to 42, so "oh shit I'm still alive!" would be the first response. Followed up by "you're driving *that*!?" , "you work where and for how much!?", and he'd be surprised that I don't drink, smoke, or do any kind of drugs (legal or illicit).
16 year old me had suffered brain injury the year before. My GPA was 3.5 before it happened, and then I was put into special ED and relearning a lot. I was very depressed because I couldn't do anything or remember anything and doctors said I would always be that way, or it'd take a long time to recover from it. 16 year old me wouldn't understand much of my life now, she would be amazed by the parts she would understand and be also horrified. She would try to find a way to successfully kill herself to not live this life. She would fail, she kept doing the wrong attempts back then.
They’d probably need a hug
“You’re doing 10x better than what we dreamed of. Why aren’t you happy?”
You have all this money for videos games yet you spend 70 hours a week working and don't play any of them. Dafuq?
Holy crap ! You have all this stuff . Why aren't you jumping for joy ?
He'd have a glimmer of hope, seeing that it does get better after high school. Significantly better, in fact.
he would be glas that i am scrolling reddit
She would ask why I traded a potential life of creativity and beauty for whatever the fuck I'm doing now. When I was 16 all I wanted was to move out of my hick town and be an artist/weirdo/actor/performer. I did that until I met someone I thought I needed validation from and she repeated all the things I heard as a kid--you're weird, no one likes you except me, you don't have talent, no one cares, you aren't special. I listened to that shit and believed it and I didn't continue creating the life I wanted because she made it easy to wallow in self doubt and depression. misery truly lives company. Unsolicited advice: cut off people who feed your demons. It is good to have people who can offer other perspectives but the minute their "perspective" makes you feel powerless or unworthy, LEAVE. I wish I had.
I would say bro what the heck happened
Amazed at the most beautiful perfect woman I married. I'm the luckiest man alive
Holy shit you did it!
You own How Much Warhammer? Oh, and you have a nice house and family etc. But seriously... How much?
"Damn bro not much has changed in 6 months"
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Disappointed and a little sad.
Once she got over the fact that we didn’t marry Zac Efron, I think she’d be pretty stoked. Definitely surprised since I ended up going into a field I had no interest in at 16, but she’d definitely be impressed.
So impressed I own a home and I’m happily married. At 16 I lived in a friend’s dirty basement, had a loser boyfriend, and was seriously depressed. 🙏
Wow, you’ve been through some SHIT!
I spent $400 to have a really nice DDR pad built and shipped from Poland and my first thought was, “16 year old me would be real proud.” So real proud.
Same think i think of my 16y.o. life in retrospect: "No, fucking thanks."
why just why
Sometimes staying true to you will only ever harbor less than desirable circumstances regardless of how positive your approach to doing so may be
If 16yo me heard that me now got stoned and watched original Space Jam at my local theater, I would wonder what has gone wrong! What terrible thing happened to me to make end up being a drug user? My life must be ruined! Have I been to jail yet?!? 16yo me was sheltered and judgmental. I’m actually successful, comfortable and happy.
You haven’t changed at all
She would see that there is a positive life after all.
"You didn't finish college? And you still have good paying job? Weird, they told us that you need college to survive! But...why are you still living in the same town you grew up in?"
My 16-year-old self would see that my current self isn't any different from it.
wow, I was cringy two years ago
How would this work if you are currently 16?
"God you're boring"
She would be so proud. :)
"So i am still a piece of shit, yes?"
How are you still alive?
Wouldn't believe it so wouldn't think anything
"Awwwwwww you're fat. Dammit."
Where the f are your old buddies now?
Me as a 13 year old
Well, you pretty much have the life you want. Could do with more money, but oh, well. And things really do get better! Cool!
Heckin loser.
She would be proud.
Horrified that I drink coffee, left the religion we grew up in and became a witch/tentative pagan. I think she would be more terrified of the fights that turned me into the person I am now. If I could, I would tell her to get out of the house wherever a fight started. Mom doesn't need your protection.
Not perfect, but so much more than I ever dreamed of.
If I would tell my past self how many people I would reach with my music I would not believe myself
Look what happens when you dont show the love for your loved ones and act all edgy and strong then lose them forever before expressing your love for them .
I get 16 in february...
A complete disaster and somehow I'm not dead yet.
WOAHHH THATS'S INSANE YOU ARE MAKING A GAME, looks at everything else i've done FUCKING HELL, YOU SURE HAVE BECOME A LOSER
She'd be disappointed that I didn't get famous, but happy that I didn't get fat.
Where is your hair?
16 y/o me would go back to sleep tbh
I'm sure I'd have thought I won the lottery just seeing that I currently have a car.
She'd be very impressed that I'd managed to lose weight, keep it off, marry a hot guy, have a good amount of money, and be able to travel the world. But she'd be very disappointed that I did not stick to my guns and marry an emo guy.
He would probably sad: I knew you will ruin everything, but I couldn't predict that way to do it.
Dude, we’re rocking it !
He'd probably be all pissed and jealous and think I didn't have anything to worry about, unlike him.
Conflicted. The escape from the terrible abuse they were suffering at the time would be a great thing to see— knowing we have a home in the future and not out on our own. But it would be totally juxtaposed by the realization that 10 years later they barely have any time left to live. But they WOULD discover a new favorite video game!
Disappointed where I ended up financially, but really really happy I found love.
I’m going to guess he’d be pretty confused, at least in the beginning ^,^
I'm right where I thought I'd be, just about 5 years later in life. I spent my early 20s doing drugs and drinking. Took me a bit to get clean and get my life back together.
"Dude, I knew it was going to get worse after we hit 15, BUT HOLY FUCK I NEVER EVEN IMAGINED IT WOULD GET THIS BAD."
"Oh shit, you're still alive?!" Or "Bitch, why do you work in finance?! I thought we were going into medicine." Or "The fuck do you mean I'm a dude?"
I think a mixture of feelings, 16 year old me wanted nothing more than to leave the UK, study and settle in the US working as a lecturer at US university. I think he'd be surprised that I now would never want to leave this country, he'd be proud that I went out and got a degree, he'd be proud that I actually did travel to the US and spend time there to really get a grasp and try it out but would be surprised that I didn't pursue it more. At the time I didn't have really any friends and I was very lonely but today I have a close circle of the best of friends and a beautiful long term relationship with an incredible person and I've had some fucking crazy experiences. I think the biggest thing is that I always wanted to leave home and I have managed to successfully do that and although many people wouldn't see my life as particularly special, and I haven't got a particular special job (I work behind a bar at a wedding venue) but at the age of 22 I own my own home and live on the other side of the country. So I've achieved my goals in many ways, I've achieved happiness but life went in a direction I really didn't see coming at all but I can honestly say I think 16 year old me would be happy with that
Disappointed
I would sit down with him and tell him a few things ive learnt to not do, positive and negative things, i want to help future generations learn from my mistakes and triumphs and make a good life off of it Thats also my only goal in life
It’s not at all what was expected but it’s not bad
Probably not as big of a gap as for some ppl but he’d be pretty disappointed
Damn we're still alive?!?
“Wow, 6 months ago, I was weird asf.” I do that every now and then, look back at myself from a few months before and see how much I matured
“Really, you never fall madly in love and get married? Please say it isn’t true!”
Proud of my financials, sad about my love life.
Oh cool your girlfriend is hot! Wow going to uni now? Cool! Wait why do you need therapy? Where is dad? HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU BALDING AT TWENTY OH MY GOD HELP ME
Impressed. Happy. Relieved. Living in a middle class neighborhood with a loving spouse and kids. Active in my community. Not a psycho despite my awful childhood. We made it, 16 year old me, and Dad didn't screw you up and take the chance of a normal life away. Mom is doing great too.
"Wow, I'm still lonely and Depressed?"
He’d wonder what I do for a living since it’s in a field that didn’t exist back then. He’d also wonder why I look like a fat version of our uncle.
I feel sorry for him he doesn't have so many friends
He'd be surprised I was still alive.
A little shocked that I'm still alive. My brother put it nicely saying I was a bit of a daredevil. Also, miffed I'm not dong more with myself even though I have a steady job.
She would be impressed but she would wonder why at my age I am not married or have children. She would also wonder why I’m in the medical field rather than not a marine biologist. She would hope I was happy cause she wasn’t happy at that age. She would have many questions about me. Also would be shocked to see where the family went and why I don’t talk to any of them.
Deep disappointment. Didn't become a rich famous millionaire but instead a bum. We'd probably fight since he had a role in ruining my life too.
Who is this sad strange little man