Nothing takes away the joy of youth faster than the thought of being uncool. This fear doesn’t hit every child at the same age, but the moment it does, wham—a kid will spend more time worrying about what their peers think than living their life. Why? You only get to be young once. Trust me—you’re aging at light speed as it is. Get out there and live your life—any way you see fit—without breaking laws, of course. I don’t want to see complaints from parents saying it’s my fault their kid is in jail. You have to be smart about this stuff, and you’re certainly capable of doing that.

When you look back on these short teenage years, I want you to marvel more than regret what you did. Whether or not you do will be in large part to your choices, so don’t allow yourself to be put in a box of someone else’s perceptions. Remember, there is no time machine for doing it over again.