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I've often wished (who hasn't?) that I could write a letter to myself at 16. I would tell myself not to worry so much, to believe in myself, to concentrate on school, that tongue piercings are not cool and only chip your teeth. This feeling of wanting to reach out to that uncertain young person has only gotten stronger as I embark on the scary race towards teenagerdom that is raising a girl. What do I want to tell her as she grows up? The same things I would tell myself? Or is it better to let a kid sort it out on her own?

The appealing concept of being able to communicate with your 16-year-old self has been bundled into book form with the forthcoming Dear Me, which collects celebrities' letters to themselves. Facsimiles of the letters are up at the Guardian (check out Hugh Jackman's high school yearbook photo and John Water's scrawly handwriting!). Scrolling through reveals bits of wisdom, both funny and sage.  Jim Belushi tells himself, "You really don't know the difference between positive and negative attention, do you?" Stephen King warns himself, "Stay away from recreational drugs." Kathleen Turner cautions herself, "Do not let your sense of humor, of the absurd, slip. Try to remember that what is happening at the moment is only that—a moment."  Gillian Anderson writes, awesomely, "Follow your dreams not your boyfriends!" Amen!

There are a couple "Back to the Future" moments, too—Hugh Jackman writes "PS Buy shares in Google when they are invented!" and Alice Cooper notes, "I think coffee might really catch on, maybe call it Star something..." Oh, you guys.

What do you wish you could tell your teenaged self? Tell us in the comments...

Write a letter...
to see yourself more clearly
to the editor
to a US military hero