Things I Wish I Could Tell 6-year-old Me

 I've had a lot of time to think over the last month, and I've used it. I've thought about growing up as the oldest child of two youngests. I've thought about what it means to be the oldest of five and how that can really suck. I've thought about how different my experience as an MK was much different from my siblings. The first time I moved overseas was when I was 6. I turned 7 in France. And there are several things I wish I could tell my 6-year-old self. I was a small child moving to a country that was not my home and having to learn and live in a new culture. My parents struggled cause they had culture shock. I had it too, just in a different way. My mom liked to say that I would only remember the best parts about living there. And to some extent, that's true: I remember loving some parts of France. But I also remember lying in bed at night crying because I missed my home and my friends. 

Things I wish I could tell my six-year-old self:

1. It's okay to have friends of all ages, be they way older than you, or way younger than you. I know it's hard sometimes, but not having friends your own age and learning to make friends is a good skill that will serve you well in life.
2. It's okay to miss your old home. It's okay to miss the friends you knew and be sad you don't get to do all of the stuff you love with them. But know that time doesn't stand still neither here nor there, so things are going to change when you go back and it won't be like how you remember it.
3. Those book-friends you made are going to be with you for a lifetime, so don't feel bad if someone teases you for reading the exact same book for the fifth time. 
4. Don't be afraid to try new things, and meet new people. I know it is scary and hard, but push through, I promise it's worth it. 
5. Beat your brother at video games and card games more. There will come a day where he will start winning consistently and you won't, so you will want to have a few wins under your belt before that happens. 
6. Cheese is good. French cheese is your friend. I know it smells. It tastes good, I promise.
7. Don't be afraid to try to learn a new language or make new friends. It's going to take time, and that is okay.
8. Moving is hard. It's okay to feel big feelings because of that.

~Ali