I agree with Ms. Casidy and Ms. Richardson, Become your own person emotionally and intellectually before you marry. Of course, it is easy to prescribe this in a perfect world. Life has a way of happening when you’ve made other plans. It is so important to follow your dreams but to be practical in the everyday sense of life. What does that mean? Well, I guess it means making sure you have the basic necessities of life to pursue your dreams/goals in life. Develop a plan that outlines the steps necessary and follow it. You can always change the plan and go in another direction. But of course it’s important to have fun, make life long friends and partake in the everyday excitement of becoming you.

Don’t get married now. I waited ‘til 29, and had a daughter at 30, my son at 44. Don’t EVER try to change a man to suit yourself, they Do Not Change! Take a good look, this is how he IS and this is how he WILL BE. Always have a large bank account of your OWN in your maiden name. Invest wisely, not the way your ‘friends’ tell you to, get GOOD advice. READ, study, LEARN, but take time to PLAY. Never become the enabler, the nurse, the slave to family or others. But, remember, you are only important if you stay SMART. Finally: I hate the aches, so don’t get old (I’m 83), but keep your sense of humor, it can save you in many situations. Stay in love…I have a younger ‘boyfriend’ whom I adore because he is brilliant, and only 67. Be optimistic, always.

I would tell a 21 year old girl just what I told my girls. Prepare for life as though you will only have yourself to depend upon because at some point this will probably be the case. Even the best of husbands can become disabled or die. So find something you are interested in and obtain the education and/or skills required to turn this interest into a career. But even if you are interested in a trade or the arts be sure and pursue some secondary education and include some finance or accounting so that you can learn critical thinking skills and how to manage your money. Being self sufficient will only enhance any good relationship and will give you options.

Stop dressing that way. Learn more, and take care of yourself.

WOW! Great question. I’m 21 and was thinking of asking some of my wise and mature mentors a question just like this!

Invest! See a financial planner and be wowed (hee hee) at what you can retire with. Get a prenup to protect it for you and your children. :)

ELIZABETHAN…look..look..we are talking about you today! Tell them your Ghandi sent you.

Keep a journal. Don’t rely on memory.

Use sunscreen! I never thought I’d have wrinkles, but yep, there they are…

When I first saw this question I thought “Oh boy! something I really want to respond to”. Then I started thinking about it and came up with.. hell.. I don’t know! I have a 25 year old and a 21 year old daughter. They each need real separate “types” of advice. My 21 year old doesn’t need the “don’t rely on a man” advice. She needs advice on how NOT to treat her motorcycle unless she wants it to quit running. And advice on how TO find work that will have some true opportunity. My 25 year old needs every kind of man advice you can conjure up. When I was 21 I needed advice on how to relax as a young parent and not think that every single thing I did was going to affect every single thing my kids ever did. Really… I just want to give a 21 year old girl a hug and say “baby life is tough sometimes. Hang tight. Love the people who love you and f—- the rest”.

Enjoy~~~ There’s a lot more, but start there and the rest will come…all the good…and all the rest!

almost all of the above, plus - Don’t be afraid, take a chance on a job, or a few months off traveling, - if its the wrong move, don’t be afraid to make a correction. hr

Learn now how to take really good care of yourself in every way, emotionally, financially, physically and spiritually! And then remember the tools when these things become compromised, as others’ well being, is affected by your well being. This is especially true after you become a mom. I got married at 22, and soon after had two daughters. I didn’t know how to take care of myself in these ways, and ended up burning myself out, and needed alot of help in cultivating tools to love and support myself. Now that my daughters are 15 and 18, I am sharing with them a lot about self care (especially emotionally). I could go on, and write a book on this topic.