i now remember what it is like to be in 8th grade, comparing yourself to all of the other girls, everyone at different stages of puberty and maturity. some are the youngest and some are the oldest, experiencing the world for the first time vs. having seen it through the eyes of older siblings. small things can be isolating, and big things can feel ... See more

A child is born with both ego and heart and soul on full display. But for many people, around adolescence, the ego begins to swell, and the heart and soul recede. People at this age need to establish an identity, to carve a self. Meanwhile, our society tells adolescent boys to bury their emotions and become men. It tells little girls that if they r

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Like many — dare I say, most — people in their early 20s, I find it hard to shake the feeling that my life is a pinball machine of relationships and opportunities that I’m hurtling through headfirst, knocking over bystanders and crashing into obstacles, unable to stop for long enough to figure out what I’m doing wrong. It is tempting, in this world... See more