So please, don’t…

1. Disregard your parents’ rules…unless, of course, you don’t want them to trust you again. Get ready for a blanket ban on sleepovers, mall trips and pretty much everything else you enjoy.

2. Ditch your buds. Yeah, summer is a great time to meet other girls and guys, but that doesn’t mean you should turn your back on your besties. After all, three months of the cold shoulder might mean they won’t be your BFFs when you’re ready to rejoin the fold.

3. Drop your phone in the toilet, the pool, the ocean or anywhere watery. Paying for a replacement is probably not how you wanted to spend your babysitting money.

4. Break the law. The consequences are so not worth however much fun you think a gag or dare will be in the moment.

5. Toy with a guy’s feelings. He might pretend to be all tough, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be heartbroken if you string him along all summer. If you aren’t interested, say so—don’t flirt just ‘cause you’re bored and he’s kinda cute.

6. Let someone pressure you to do something you don’t want to do. Maybe it breaks a big rule. Maybe it breaks your rules. Maybe you just aren’t comfortable with it. It doesn’t matter—speak up when you don’t want to do something, and then stick with your decision.

7. Wear a bikini that’s too loose (or poorly tied). Trust us, now’s the time when all your “I leapt off the high dive…and lost my bottoms!” embarrassing moments come flooding in.

8. Blow off sunscreen. Just one bad sunburn can increase your risk for skin cancer immensely. And that’s not a stat you want to play with.

9. Let others deflate your self-confidence. Rock your body your way, whether that means a tie-dyed crop top, hot pink short shorts, a leopard print monokini or a sweet li’l sundress. Own your look, and everyone else will think ya look fab. And you know what? You totally do.

by Brittany Taylor | 2/1/2016