Admit it, if you had the opportunity to go back in time to slap your younger self in the face, you would. It would be a dream come true, just to be able to look the little fifth grade version of yourself directly in the eyes and then take a huge swing with your front hand directly to the side of your face. I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. Younger versions of ourselves were stupid and did embarrassing things. By going back in time and leaving a big red mark on your baby face, you'd be doing your younger self a favor. The point is, we've all done things in the past that we're not proud of. What we must realize now is that the opportunity to change what has already happened will not come. What's done is done. We must grow from our mistakes, learn from the consequences of our actions, and mature over time into stronger individuals. The author, Joe Mackall, does an outstanding job expressing this in his short narrative, “Words of My Youth.” It not only highlights that children often make poor choices without having a reason for doing so, or an understanding of the consequences of those actions, but also the fact that ignorance is never an excuse for any discouraging choice. Like Mackall, I constantly think about the choices I've made and wonder how much I've learned from my actions. I went to school every day, just like any other first grader. I participated in sports, teased girls and said they had “coots,” as well as dreamed about what it would be like to be an adult. It was a simple time when all that really mattered was whether or not you could write your name. But one boy in my class wasn't just worried about spelling his name. He was worried about me. Like... half of the paper... g. My parents never knew about my actions. They never had to look at a stranger and discover that their child was capable of tormenting a kid at school or ruining the one thing another person was passionate about. They didn't have the experience that Mackall's mother had. They didn't have to look at their child with absolute disgust and hear the words coming out of their mouth. But that's okay; I did it for them. I looked at myself with disgust. I've seen what I'm capable of and learned how to change for the better from them. I have to change for the better. Because no matter how much I, or Mackall, or anyone else on this planet wants to go back in time and slap their younger self in the face, they can't. They have to come to terms with the person they once were and become the person they want to be. I have become the person I want to be. Someone else wants to join me??