Before I start rambling, here's a super old picture of one of the best days I remember at School with the only people I want to remember from that time.

Yeah… Sorry about the quality, it's a while ago!
Bit of background: this picture was taken one day in the summer of 2015 when the seven of us were so unbelievably stressed at the disorganisation of our performing arts course that we decided to go and sunbathe on the grass in front of school instead. And I kid you not, the weight on our shoulders shifted so fast and we felt so relaxed all of a sudden that it was worth the telling off we got later.

Anyway, I was in a situation on Saturday where I was getting judgy looks and being whispered about by a couple of teenagers and it got me thinking about how much my life has changed since leaving school and having a baby. It made me realise that all those times people were telling me that it gets better and I didn't believe them, they were right and it does.

I'm sure there are times in everyone's life where they think they wish they could go back to talk to their teenage self and tell them that it gets better and it'll actually be okay in a few years. And obviously we can't. So I'm writing this for the teens out there that are still struggling and still need a push and a helping hand. This may or may not give comfort to those of you that think nothing is ever going to change. Because I thought that too.

I'm not going to lie and say that everything is incredible when you grow up. I'm not fully grown up myself so I don't know what else is going to be thrown at me in the future. But this adult stuff isn't all plain sailing by any means. However, in my own opinion, it's a little easier – for me – to deal with. The struggles are different and in my mind the way you deal with them is a bit more logical.

For example, one of the major problems in a teenagers life is: the judging; the whispering; the constant belittling from our peers and I think it's awful that this is such a major part of our lives. But it is. It still is for me and I'm nearly 21. I guess we just have to tell ourselves that someone else's opinion on you or what you're doing really isn't important. It's your opinion on yourself that matters.
The other night I was out and a young girl (around 14) was quite clearly taking the p*** out of my tattoo. It's a small tattoo – very inoffensive – it's a small wave that means 'Grace' and I have it because this is Tom and Edie's last name and so it's important to me. Anyway, so this girl clearly didn't like it, or was offended by it, or was jealous of it, either way – whatever the problem was – she felt the need to discuss it with a disapproving look on her face right in front of me. And it bothered me. It bothered me more that it bothered me but all the same it bothered me. And that took me back to my school days with those girls up there and how every little thing got to us – all of us.

Nowadays, little gets to me. I am very happy to get on with my life with or without specific people in it. I have Tom and I have friends that I don't have to see every day to know we're still friends it's just a given.
I have a mum and a dad that love each other and their children very much. I have grandparents that are supportive and helpful every day of my life. I have my health, I can dance, I can sing, I can act. I have an amazing job in an amazing dance school with amazing kids.
But most of all I have Edie. My daughter. Whom everyone adores and only I get to see every second of every day. And everyone else should be jealous of that. Because she makes me so so happy.

I had hard times. I know that some of the things I went through aren't regular teenage life things to go through. I know they don't happen to everyone and I know I can't relate to everyone in the same way. But I also know that we all struggle. I know that we all go through our own hard times and we all need help sometimes. We all hurt, we all cry and we all fail. That's okay. What we don't need is people trying their hardest to make it worse. We don't need people looking at us funny or talking to us funny or taking the mick out of us behind our backs just to make themselves feel better about their own life. That's not fair.
So if we could all try be a little nicer to people, a little more considerate of how other people may be feeling, maybe – just maybe – we can spread a little happiness as oppose to judgement for a change.

That'd be nice wouldn't it?

I suppose what I'd say to my teenage self is just you wait, just you wait until your daughter is born because everything will change. You will have the power over your own happiness and if anyone tries to take that away from you you will have the power to stop them. You will accept yourself, stretch marks, birth scars and all. You will have love in your life again, light in your life again, hope for a stronger and brighter future. And those that don't like you, those that don't accept you for who you are, those that judge you or try to make you feel small, they will be nothing one day. One day you will say 'fine, I won't come' and you will never have to see them again. One day, you will close the door on all the rubbish you have been through, all the pain you have experienced will be well and truly in the past and you will wake up every morning, give your beautiful daughter a hug and you will be 100% happy.