to the girls who just turned 18

don't be a dumbass

that 24 year old isn't in love with you

especially if he saw you at age 16

and said "i guess i'll wait"

he didnt want to watch you mature

he just wanted it to be legal

so that he had a reason to push down

any hint of guilt he had

don't let him use you,

because you know he is, but you're ignoring it

since you're "so in love"

no you aren't

he's just conditioning you into thinking

manipulation and coerced sex translates to affection

predatory men aren't hot 

they're pedophiles.

 

to the boys who just turned 18

don't be a dumbass

you catch yourself growing the addictions you fostered starting in highschool

nicotine just so happened to be your seed of choice

or maybe it was alcohol

and you tended to it with your older friend's help

as they waltzed into convenience stores with their flashy id's

and bought you some pods or a six-pack

and somehow, they didn't feel sick just thinking about it

and now that you're the chosen one with a flashy id

fucking stop

your legality isn't meant to be a fertilizer to your addictions

 

and to the older kids

rot in hell

stop leading your friends to their destruction

as some sort of twisted coping mechanism for your own

 

to the kids who just turned 18,

i'm sorry the world is this way

where this might be the first time you're hearing this

to the kids who just turned 18,

if your 24 year old partner

says they'll kill themselves if you leave them

get help, get out

if they tell you you're mature for your age

in that specific tone of voice that makes you uneasy for some reason

and then they look you up and down

get help, get out

to the kids who just turned 18,

if your friend offers you

some drink or pill and you're not quite sure what it is

say no, get out

to the kids who just turned 18,

if they touch you and you don't like it

and they don't listen when you tell them to stop

the say that you're bigger now, so you better handle it

don't let them get out alive

 

to the kids who are still growing up,

not quite 18,

adulthood is not an excuse for recklessness 

tell your friends to share their location if they're going on tinder dates

tell your friends that drugs won't help their mind forever

tell your friends to go to a therapist

tell your friends to get help, get out

 

to the kids who are still growing up,

please watch yourself

i know that adulthood is something we cheer on,

something we think we are ready for

don't use it as an excuse to destroy yourself inside and out

take care,

keep watch,

travel in groups,

don't take drinks from strangers,

do anything and everything to make growing up safe

we are not peter pan, 

we have to grow up someday

and god only knows the world's not cahnging anytime soon

we are not invincible

we are kids

 

i don't think i like growing up

i don't like seeing my classmates die

from overdosing or DUIs

i don't like seeing my friends

nearly kill themselves over school and work and college

 

the day i found myself unphased

when people made suicide jokes

and talked about how much they dreaded every morning

was the day i grew up

 

to the kids who just turned 18,

it's okay to still be a kid

it's okay to still be okay

and it's okay to bury the words

of those who try to convince you otherwise.