Small Fry

by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Adults seemed to think academic work was most important, but I figured that was because they didn’t understand the greater satisfaction of being popular, perhaps because they were too old or ugly to be popular themselves, and were jealous. I felt this way about my mother too, so her rules about clothing and earrings seemed like a bitter wish to stop me from having what she could not have.

“You know, at the end of things, you forget how easy and great the beginnings are,” he said.

“In general, I think middle school is so awful it would be better if kids just sailed around the world instead. Just put them all on a boat.

My mother sometimes said, There are guardian angels just for teenagers. Oh, help me, God of Teenagers, I thought. Oh God of Teenagers.