Book Introduction!

“When I grow up, I want to be a famous writer and lawyer!” If you met the childhood version of me, this is what she would proudly proclaim to you if you asked. Nobody told that inexperienced little girl that there was the slightest chance that life would not happen as she had dreamed. There was never a notion that this would be a dream deferred. I lost my way and ended up completely on the other side of my dream. I’d had a child, dropped out of school and became a statistic at the age of 16. How did this happen? How did I go from getting acceptance letters from Universities and being on the honor roll as a straight A student, to getting acceptance letters for food stamps and standing in the Welfare line?

Growing up today has to be the hardest time ever in the history of growing up as a girl. Everywhere you look, there’s young ladies dressing sexier, acting sexier and growing up more quickly than the generation before it. The young ladies of today have so many more pressures than we had just 10 years ago. There’s a huge emphasis on sex, and what it means to be “hot”. When you listen to the songs on the radio, watch the music videos or use social media one thing is for sure: Things have changed.

Even the “good girl” can be tempted by popularity, peers, boys and advertisements. We live in a world where bad is good, good is boring, and where you can be famous for being famous. All you have to do is look good and you can be rich. Not born beautiful? Don’t worry, you can buy any body part that you want. You could always marry a rich athlete or musician because women are here to be seen and not heard. Why stay in school and struggle to get the grade, when the girl next door is making it big because of an Instagram video she posted showing off her assets? Or a YouTube video that went “viral”? What is the incentive to keep you on the straight and narrow in today’s society?

The voice of the good little girl inside of you can quickly become a whisper when you make choices based off emotions rather than your mind. We all start out as ambitious little girls and then life happens. Life will happen to you too. There’ll be times when you’ll have to make a decision that could potentially impact your whole life in a matter of minutes. These bad decisions can cause you to lose yourself. You’ll search high and low for years sometimes trying to find her again. So, what do you do? Life isn’t going to stop and wait for you and you most definitely are not going to be immune to drama, trials and heartache.

Might I make a suggestion? Little girl, little girl…don’t get lost in this world.

Table Of Contents

Preface

Fatherless Girls

Parents

Motherless Daughters

Self -Love/Your Perception

Periods: Toxic Shock Syndrome

The Boy/Don’t Settle For the First Guy Who Looks At You

Cold Porcelain/Losing Your Virginity

Teenage Motherhood/Sex

Promiscuity

Love

Peer Pressure (The “In” Crowd)

Don’t Be in Such A Rush To Grow Up/You Can’t Get Your Youth Back!

Role Models/ What Are You Seeing?

Education

Set Future Goals

Depression

Bullying

Molestation

Don’t Ever Get Too Big To Pray!

Give Yourself Some Credit (Cards!)

Closing Thoughts

Your Mistakes Are A Part of You, but Don’t Define You

Might I Suggest You See The World?

I'm A Big Girl Now

Give Thanks!

Notes

About the Author