A lot of us kids nowadays like to throw around the phrase "glowing up"

Like, 'Robert used to be so dorky and prone to eczema, but now he's so athletic and prone to touchdowns. He sure glowed up!'

Or, 'Cindy was soooo large and unfashionable, but look at her now! She's at a much healthier weight, and knows a thing or two about how to match your stilettos with your blush. She definitely glowed up!'

Here's the thing, glow ups don't mean jack diddly squat

I mean, they matter if you want to look and feel better about yourself

I guess

But really, in the grand scheme of things, they mean

nothing

If you don't also grow up as well

Like our good friends Robert and Cindy, they can 'glow up' all they want,

they can glow so much they can be used by cave explorers or torch bearers

haha

I kid

But what good does Robert's athleticism and prowess on the football field, or Cindy's inpsiring weight loss and fashion-forward mindset, matter if they don't pay enough attention to their academics?

I learned the difference between growing up

and glowing up

From observing people like Robert and Cindy in my own educational territories

Because I always thought Growing Up and Glowing Up were like, the same thing, man

but they're not

They can certainly compliment each other

But it's not until I graduated high school

with people like Robert and Cindy

that I realized the difference

and that difference is something I wish I learned

before I ever even started school

before I was even born, if possible!

Well, it's like they say; the more you know.