Growing up
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85137)
Shingle Springs, California
September 4, 2008 10:22pm CST
I have to admit that the Junior High (age 11 - 14, or 7th - 9th grade) years were about the most miserable years of my life. All my friends from Elementary School had moved or had other friends and I had turned painfully shy and not at all good at making new friends. I had braces and glasses and was the smallest kid in my class (I'm 5' 8" now). I didn't dress cool and didn't act cool. I was neither a member of the cool crowd, the smart crowd or any other crowd. High school was so much better. I made friends and came somewhat out of my shell. Husband can't relate - he though Jr. High was great. Where were you at that age? Miserable? Happy? Somewhere in between?
3 people like this
5 responses
@KUSHANK55 (2437)
• India
5 Sep 08
hi dear dawnald , i feel at 53 i am still the same . the surroundings may be different.
i will tell you i have three kids all away from me , grown up and busy in their office, families or education . one wife , who does not talk to me, sine she is suffering from a serious problem and keeps talking to invisible people. and i am out of job and do not have physical friends . recently i was in hospital with coronary artery disease .
i have developed few online friends with whom i share certain things 
and today i have fallen for your innocent disclosures and opened my heart out.
what do you say?
and today i have fallen for your innocent disclosures and opened my heart out.
what do you say?@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Sep 08
HI - it's Dawn. I'm 50 myself but quite a lot different than I was growing up. It shaped my personality a lot but I'm certainly not that same person that I was when I was 13. I have developed quite a few online friends myself and I talk to some of them quite regularly.
1 person likes this
@shana123 (2095)
• India
3 Oct 08
Im even now facing a bad situation in my college :( , i have to agree that im quite lazy so i dint do well in my exams previously so nobody is coming forward to be with me , i have a huge doubt will should we get friends for love or for marks or how intelligent we are? I decided not to care for people who just gets fascinated towards my marks that i score than for the love and care which i show, other than college i have few friends outside my college so i dont just bother about these people here
2 people like this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
3 Oct 08
you marks in school are not necessarily a sign of how intelligent you are...
@Bethany1202 (3431)
• United States
5 Sep 08
I had a bad time throughout all my schooling. I was so self-conscious and shy, and never really seemed to fit in with ANYONE all that well.
In my late teens after high school I began developing MUCH more self esteem and making friends, and now it seems many people love me and welcoem me into their life with open arms.
Things are much better now, but maybe before I was just sp darned shy I never let anyone even attempt to get close to me. It doesn't matter now, but you never know...
2 people like this
@bamakelly (5191)
• United States
3 Oct 08
This age frame that you are questioning was particularly hard for me dawnald. I think about these things sometimes and it was all well over twenty five years ago. There are things that still bother me about how I was treated by some of my peers.
I look back and remember being emotionally hurt and feeling like I couldn't talk about it. I wasn't very shy and had a few friends but never really felt accepted. I believe this age group of junior high can really be a trying time for children. It is an awkward age to say the least. Things started getting better as I got a little older and my peers became a little more mature. Still hurts sometimes. 
