So? That's all I have to think after reading this. So? Why are you telling me to who to like? I'll like whoever I want, thank you very much, and I like you. I sincerely do. I don't care if you're "not as smart as you need to be" or don't have any talents. I don't either, but that doesn't stop me, does it? I'm not any better of a person than you are. I don't see what makes you a terrible person. Do you like killing people? Or eating them? Do you take great pleasure in pushing down little children and stealing their lunch money? Do you find robbing old ladies the most fun thing in the world? If you did, I would find you either a terrible human or not a human at all. But I'm pretty sure you don't like doing any of those things. 

I'm unbelievably selfish, rarely nice unless it benefits me, weak, untalented, and a whole host of other problems. So? People seem to like me for some reason. My parents still say that they love me. I must be doing something right, right? You say you have flaws. I know there's a million people out there who will say stuff like "Maggie, you're perfect! There's nothing wrong with you." but I'm not going to say that. You believe you have problems, so you have problems. I'm not here to lie to you (well, about this. I lie and loophole about myself, but not other people). If you want someone to sing your praises, go ask someone else. I know I'm being harsh but this is my point- you are who you are. You can change who you are, if you put a great deal of painful work into it, but that's not pleasant. You can if you want to. I wish you good luck. But you are who you are. There's no way around it- you're Maggie, and that means you have all the virtues, faults, thoughts and feelings that belong to yourself. When people look at you, they see what you let them see. When I think about you, I think that you're a girl with a whole lot of courage going through some really hard times. I want to help you, because I don't think anyone should have to put up with the stuff I have to and I think you're having some kind of similar things. You say you're a  terrible person. So what? I don't care. In fact, I only like you more. You're honest. You don't brag about yourself. I like that. And you remind me of myself and goodness knows I like knowing people a little similar to me. Maybe this just says I'm terrible myself. Well, I don't care. Maybe people say I should care and I say that I have a great deal of other stuff on my plate, so let me alone. Let's just be terrible together, because I certainly like you as you are.

Look, I honestly do not know you, but what I can say is that if you're not as nice as you wish to be, or you desire to have more friends, you can simply change your attitude. Smile at people! Try to be nice! Find a hobby to practice - everyone has a hidden talent! Open up a little! Share with the world that you're willing to change, and people will love you for you! Trust me, you'll be a better person in no time!

Hang in there! =)

Dude, if we thought you were awful, no one would be replying to your threads.  Believe me, I would have shunned you a long time ago.  We all have our problems.  I'm such a perfectionist I make myself cry sometimes.  I always think I'm right and I have an intense fear of failure.  Some of us have more problems than others, and some are more aware of our problems.  We're not perfect, but that doesn't get in the way of us making new friends.  And I'm seriously happy to consider you- and all the other Chatterboxers- my friend.

Yeah, you say you're all that. So? You don't seem that way to me and maybe that's just cuz I'm a lot like that myself. And I really couldn't care less. I am who I am and people have to deal with that. Sure, you could say I'm mean and stupid and people often do. But I tell them to shut their face because I don't want to hear it. If they don't like me, that's their problem. And that's how you should think.

I think you're a really cool person! When I was telling my siblings how awesome the Chatterbox was, I told them how cool you were. But that's me. If you want to think you're awful then go right ahead. It's your choice. Just like it's mine to think I'm awful and I don't. 

I'm not trying to be harsh, just like Ruby said, but I just don't see any point in telling us that your 'mean' and 'awful'. What do those words mean? Only what you make them mean, that's what. If you want to be awful, sure you can be awful. But if you don't, then you're not. You're the only person who can decide that.  

My siblings insult me every day. I don't care about it. Insults have become meaningless to me. Because I know that the way I want to be is up to me, not them. If they don't like me, good for them. 

You and everyone else in the world, really. Humans as a rule aren't very good people.

For whatever it's worth, I'm manipulative, a former pathological liar trying to kick the habit, that annoying person sitting in the back and making snarky comments because I can't be bothered to care about much of anything outside of my very narrow interest set, deeply opinionated and equally judgemental, arrogant bordering on egotistical, and lazy enough to risk my grade-based scholarship because I genuinely do not care about my grades (classes, yes, but I'm more than capable of learning everything and getting D's because I don't test well unless I prepare for it and I'm often too lazy to prepare). So... you're not alone, at least.

Though it's very important to bear in mind that you're probably the only one who notices these things about yourself. People are VERY forgiving of other people who aren't outright harming them, especially of friends, but not generally of themselves. Because: all they see is what you do and say, not what you think, and in my experience everyone is a lot nastier in the privacy of their own thoughts. To use a rather extreme example, there's a girl on my campus whom I despise and the mere sound of her voice is enough to put my teeth on edge. She also thinks we're, if not friends, friendly acquaintences, because I've made a point of being nice to her whenever we're forced into proximity. 

Talent is tricky to talk about because it's not actually as prominent as people think. People say to me all the time that I have a talent for writing BUT REALLY what happened is I learnt to read by writing so I've been doing it since I was eight years old (#latelearner), so I have a lot more practice than my average peer. Also I have a large vocabulary and a basic understanding of how punctuation works, which is more than can be said for some of my classmates (I mourn, constantly, about this).

On the other hand I suck at math. While I enjoy thinking and reading about numbers and the cool things they do, when I try to make them work for me inevitably something goes wrong. This is because my school used a terrible, terrible math program and I only intermittently paid attention anyway; the kids who were really good at math in my school were the ones who spent hours on their homework and asked questions and didn't doodle away the class hours like me.

There are legitimately people with an aptitude for or away from a set of subjects (people who are good at art are generally good at multiple kinds even if they specialize, writers are also good critical readers usually, science and math tend to overlap), but that's because of an inclination in the way someone thinks rather than that they just have an inborn ability to do algebra.

By the same token, judging your smartness by laying yourself up against someone who's good at a field you're not (I'm assuming math is not your strong suit based on what you've said previously) is not going to yield accurate results. I am an absolute idiot compared to most of the comp sci majors I know, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid, it means I haven't put in the time to learn how to work with computers on that level. It's the "if you ask a fish to climb a tree" cliche at work.

Having lots and lots of friends is overrated. I have four (maybe five) actual friends, and lots of people that I'm on good terms with, and that's okay; as long as you get the emotional and societal support you need and want from the friends you have, you don't need more for anything but a weird badge of social standing (i.e. "I have X friends, therefore I'm popular" or whatever).

I don't know what you look like, but you're probably not fat. Our culture's "ideal image" for a woman's body is actually twiggy and tending to the gross side of skinniness and often, in the case of movie stars and suchlike in publicity photos, photoshopped to hell and back. My sister, who's built exactly like my 140-lb-5'11" frame, is convinced she's fat because she's ten pounds heavier than me—never mind that she's a soccer player good enough to get recruited for a college team and those ten pounds are muscle mass. Nope, she has a bit of belly fat like a normal human being, ergo she's fat (also never mind that I have the same thing, and she'll flop around going "I wish I were as skinny as you"). I know I just got done saying how your friends are more forgiving of your personality than you are, but in THIS CASE they're probably right. If they say you aren't fat, try to believe them.

Acne is normal for your age. It's irritating for you to deal with, but it does not make you ugly. If it bothers you a lot, see a dermatologist.

Basically: you have to be nice to yourself. It's hard, but you really do have to treat yourself well in order to be well, mentally and emotionally and physically.  

Maggie, none of the Chatterboxers think you're a terrible person. Seeing your posts, you are as smart as you need to be, smarter even, and you're a very nice person. Not nice as in "pleasureable" or "okay" or "satisfactory." Nice as in awesome, kind, wonderful person. Believe me. 

Maggie, it's normal to feel this way sometimes. We all, at one point or another, think of ourselves as ugly, stupid, sarcastic, and untalented. It's just a part of growing up! You will feel this way sometimes.

The important thing to remember is that it is not true! Sure, we are all sarcastic and selfish sometimes. It seems like everyone one else is smarter and more talented then ourselves, but we often judge harder on ourselves then others. In fact, those people we think are 'perfect', never are! They have their problems just like we all do.

Sometimes, when I feel this way, I just stop for minute and take a deep breath. Then, I make myself think of two things that I like about myself. Don't say that there is nothing good about yourself. That would be a lie! Everyone has something that they like about themselves whether at that time it's only the shape of your nose!

You don't need a certain number of friends. In fact, as long as you have one or two close trustworthy friends, you'll be fine! Plus, in addition to your friends at school, you'll always have us, the CBers. 

Please, please, please do not tell yourself that you are not that likable. You are likable! Not all your qualities may be likable, but you as a person are. You matter! There is some good in everyone, let that good inside shine! I know you and every person in the world has some good in them. You just need to realize it!

I've been where you are.  I know what it's like to feel that way. I still feel that way sometimes.  As someone who's *mostly* on the other side of that sdhjhgfvsd that is early-teenagerdom, my best advice is this: Don't let it consume you.  I really can't offer any better advice than that, because I've been there, and nothing that anyone said really made me feel any better. Either it felt like they were lying to make me feel better or they didn't really know me, and I couldn't be convinced otherwise.  Honestly?  Existence can be pretty terrible.  Existence can also be pretty awesome!  At this point, I have one super-close friend and two pretty good friends. I have 4-H kids and the flute section in my school band who all look up to me (and I don't consider myself talented).  

So, my evidence suggests that eventually, if you keep your head above the dark, metaphorical eel-infested water that is adolescence, you'll come out alive and realize that nothing, including yourself, is quite as bad as you thought.

(I am a veteran CB-er who hasn't been on for like two years if you're wondering who the cake I am.) 

TIARA HEY TIARA ARE YOU STILL CHECKING THE CB?

Well anyway now that I caught Tiara's attention (if she's still checking the CB), Tiara you embarrassed me.

Unrelated: Seeing a counselor was a big mistake. Because now I don't have tumblr and there's a possibility that I'm going to get my phone taken away because my mother insists upon monitoring my technology and yeah I know she's just trying to keep me safe but she really just wants to monitor me on my counselor's orders.