How would you as a child feel about yourself in the present-day?

Officially one of the best questions I've seen here. I hope people give it thought.

When I was ten, I used to record my feelings on things. I still have notebooks and tapes of what I wrote and of my ten year old voice. I was wrong on so many things that it's interesting to look back and remember my mindset and to see what I have now learned (also depressing in some instances). I would have *adored* me as a ten year old. However, the question is the other way around.

I think ten year old me would like me because I can answer questions that ten year old me liked to ask. About maths, about physics, about space, and perhaps about people. I had some dodgy theories about fairness and equality back then. I used to think (aged ten) that if you had a difficult childhood, then your adulthood would be easy, and vice versa. Because it just seemed fairer that way. I was a budding socialist before I was out of short pants.

I was ten when I learned how babies are made. I didn't care to know and I didn't like girls. But, aged eleven, I suddenly had all kinds of feelings about those things and I'd loved to have had future me to talk to. Someone who had lived the life I was about to live and could tell me about it. My parents wouldn't tell me anything, my school didn't teach me anything, and my friends were as clueless as me (but pretended they weren't... why are people always pretending to know things they don't know?) If I couldn't have an older me, I at least needed an IIN. I'd probably have asked why future me flirted so much (as my second question). First question was how gyroscopes work.

I used to draw pictures of what I'd look like older. I even started photoshopping real images. I did myself as an old man based on a photograph of me standing in the garden of the house I grew up in. At the time it seemed logical. Now it seems weird. If I live to be an old man, my parents will be long dead and their first house a distant memory. But it makes sense when you don't know anything other than what you know.

I'd have been nice to the ten year old me and he'd have liked me but perhaps not understood what became of me or had much tolerance for the mistakes I've made. Ten year old me didn't make mistakes. And that was probably his greatest mistake. If I could get across that it's not bad to live, and to try, and even to fail, he'd have got where he was going sooner than he did. :)

Young me: Nice beard. It's red. Hah.
Now me: Laugh while you can. Pimpleface little shit.

Young me: xD bahahah I'm funny.

Extremely disappointed that I have not become a cowboy who rides a dinosaur and wields a sword of fire. Who is married to 6 supermodels from 6 different continents. With the ability to shoot maple syurp out of my cock.

I've been meaning to answer this for a while because I told you I would :P But it's a hard one to answer!

I think 10 year old Mel would be surprised that Old Mel is even vaguely competent at anything. I felt so...useless at that age. When I was littler, the sky was the limit, and as I got older, around 10-12, everything went to shit. I was officially diagnosed as depressed, with the onset of that being around the age of 10. I thought I was insane. I had rageful fits where I would scream until my lungs burnt and I would throw things. I felt like no one understood or wanted me.

I hated my family. I had few friends, because my best friend was a selective mute, and no one wanted to hang around her, but she'd been my friend since preschool, she lived just up the street from me. I think 10yr old me would be surprised that just a few years later, when high school started, I broke off all contact with her, and would be a little bit angry at Old me for doing that. She would be surprised that I'm now in (mostly) good places with my family.

She would be disappointed that I'm terminally single. She'd think I should be married with at least two kids by now. Actually, probably more like four or five. Hah. She'd be horrified that I no longer like the idea of marriage.

I think she'd be impressed by my job, though. That I'm technically my own boss, and that it's a 'fun' job, even though I'm meant to be a biologist in her eyes.

She'd be happy that I have a little sister. She'd not understand why I haven't tried harder to have a relationship with K. She wouldn't understand why I've given up having a relationship with my father, why I despise him. She hasn't yet learnt about his nature, she still worships him. That will only last another three years. I wish I could help her understand that rejection wasn't about who she is, it's about who he is. She won't learn that for another eight or nine years after that.

I think she'd be happy that I'm finally learning to speak my mind, and have opinions on things. I think she'd be surprised that I actually know a lot, even if I can't verbalise it sometimes. I felt so dumb back then.

I think she'd like that I care about people, even people I don't know all too well, and that once I've met and talked to someone, even if it's not for long, I still feel a connection with them.

I don't know if I've gone off the topic :/ I feel like I've ranted.

I think young me is still trapped inside the older me :(

When I was ten, I was a hopeless romantic, always dreamed about having a boyfriend when I was older, someone who would sweep me off my feet and I never had any romantic experiences till I was probably 16. In that aspect, my younger self would be excited to learn about the guys that would come into my life, romantically, because that seemed so out of reach when I was a kid. I knew who I was from an early age; average looking, intelligent, funny, but definitely not the kind of girl that boys dreamed about. I had glasses and freckles and was just one of the guys, since before I can remember. My ten year old self would be happy that when I got to high school, I stepped up, my self confidence boosted and I'm no longer self conscious about myself like I used to be. They would be happy that their struggles with self esteem and confidence would pay off because now, I'm the strongest I've ever been.

As a kid, I was very naive. My ten year old self would be shocked that people who picked on me and made my childhood horrible are now some of my good friends, and that I drink occasionally and smoke marijuana, two things I was always terrified of doing, that I still manage to forgive because forgiving people is less tiring than being angry at them, and that I still have trouble sleeping at night thinking of the problems of the world.

My ten year old self would be elated that a lot of things I aspired to do at that age, I'm still pursuing and I've stayed true to who I really am. I'm writing a book, something I always dreamed about when I was a kid, and my Mom is good friends with a publisher who's looked at some of my short stories and said he'd love to publish my work. Since I could remember, I've always wanted to be a Nurse, and I got accepted to College for Nursing and am going this Fall.

My ten year old self would be shocked to learn that a lot of things that bothered me when I was that age was because of my anxiety, which I now take medication for.
My ten year old self would be amazed that I can drive, that I'm independent, that I'm not afraid of being who I was always uncomfortable being when I was ten: Myself.

I got to touch boobies, so 13 year old me would be very proud. :)

I'm only 3 years older from 10, so... How I would view my self from 10:
Me as 10: I'm pretty awesome 3 years from now, I'll find out a lot of new things I never knew now.
Me as 13: I'm so awesome now! I haven't found out the crush I've liked for 3 years likes me yet, but I feel like I'm on top of the world! :D

Not sure

I'd be disappointed and critical of myself but glad I still like some of the same things such as animals.

I've thought about it for a while and even though i'm not exactly happy with my life now i think 10 year old me would be happy with what he saw. The only thing i would have been able to see at that age would be that some day i would get a games console and a fairly big tv. I was never a very observent kid.

Not sure...it depends on how far back, since I'm still young. A few years ago, I would most definitely have looked at my current self in disgust. But much farther back, I might have looked up to my current self.

I think my 2003 self would be proud of me. I was obsessed with anime back then and I still enjoy some of my old favourite shows. I also kept a diary between the ages of 8-12 and I still keep a journal today. I haven't changed a lot, except I've matured but that's a given.

In all honesty, I've always wanted to be the cool kid. The kid who wears sunglasses and rides a motorcycle. Tall and mysterious in a way. But also, and kind of important, I was this kid who dreamed of meeting this amazing girl and maybe we'd grow up together. I wouldn't be a lady killer, but I'd be a really amiable guy that perhaps some women would appreciate. I had this image of myself just being a really awesome person to talk to, but for the most part I cared about my image.

I've pondered this question before and granted I'm only a few months away from graduating high school, so I don't know if I should answer this question since I haven't really been into the real world. However, I know that my younger self would immediately look at me with disgust and to an extent shame. I'm not the cool kid, I don't look like a model, and sadly I'm only 5'7. Also I've never had a girlfriend. I don't think he'd want to see what I look like and how uncool I am. However, maybe, and this is trying to tug at the "cool person to talk to" image, but after talking with me, he might see how much of an observer I am and how I've, or we, have learned. Cynicism is terrible, kindness is great, and frankly, the world is good place if you forget about the bullies in grade school.

I'm not super popular, or good looking, and I haven't even kissed a girl, as sad as I know the kid in me would be to see his older self as that. But I'm myself, and hopefully if I meet the kid that I was, then maybe he'll see that acceptance from myself is all I really need/wanted.

I would hate what I've become but I sort of always knew and feared it.

If i was a child looking at my current self, I would probably see myself as a big brother lol.

In all actuality... I'd be happy.
As a kid, I was so lazy and aimless. I literally did not give a shit about shit and didn't think that I was smart enough to do anything. Literally. Anything. Job at McDonalds? Too stupid. Writing a good essay? Nope.

I'm doing a hell of a lot more with my life than I thought I would. It's a little sad that I say I'd be satisfied because my standards were so low for myself but it's true. I've impressed myself. I found that, once my parents are out of the picture and I'm in an environment where I have a little more control, I have a hell of a work ethic, I have great perseverance and I'm even pretty intelligent.

To be honest, I've impressed myself. I may be a broke college student, but that's better than the broke, impoverished, lazy, welfare grubbing teen Mommy that I was told I'd be. I'm learning that maybe what I am told I am might not actually be what I am and that I am in so much more control of my fate than I believed for so many years.

My life has taken very strange twists and turns over the years, unlike many others in less fortunate situations, those twists and turns have led me to opportunities for self-improvement. If I were to be 10 years old, looking at what I am now, other than working the little harder in High School, I think I'd say that I'd done a decent job.

I think I would have mixed reviews for myself. I've done really well in some aspects in life, not so much in others.

I do think i would look up to myself, because i have become much of what i have wanted, and i must say, i am proud of myself

Fantastic question. I think the child me would be suprised how I have turned out. (I suppose some would say a self obsessed individual) Who will aside from my own child, always put myself before other people and will climb over anyone to get what I want no matter who I tread on in the process. Well noone else is going to look out for me are they. Where as when I was a child I was the most selfless person ever. Yes, that can be a good thing, but letting people walk over you is certainly a bad thing. xx

My young me would be very disappointed. I'm not a superhero, I'm not the strongest or smartest or hottest man ever. I don't even have a girlfriend.

It wouldn't have had to be all those things, but at least some of them.

I would be disappointed with myself, though relieved that I didn't turn out to be what my elders predicted I'd be...

Well I got sort of the ugly duckling story, as in I was very unfashionable and awkward looking at that age, as I was told by classmates. Now I think I have a pretty well formed appearance, as I am also told.. and i would probably think it was pretty cool that I sit around with nothing important to do all day, if I was that age..:|

I had a strong imagination as a kid and that has not diminished, in fact its grown stronger if anything. I drew alot, I draw even more now. I think if the young me met the present me on one of my good days, the young me would look up to me. (phew that was alot of me's) But like anyone, I have my bad days and I'm probably not the best around kids at those times.

Lol this is such an interesting post. Well, the type of people I hated or didn't want to become when I was 10, is the person I actually became( weird, right?) When I was 10 and even before that... I hated drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and I hated when my dad went out and partied all night. By the time I was 14, I was drinking and going out all night(hiding it from my dad of course). From 16 to 18 I was doing tons of cocaine and ecstasy... Popping/snorting all sorts of pills...etc... Now, I quit the drugs, but I still drink and smoke. If I saw myself now, I would have thought I was a bad person and not want to become me lol. The only part I would look up to is my personality ! I guess I would admire me because I act / have more of my dad's personality and people tell me that. When I was younger, I loved my dad's personality and how he acted; was a daddy's girl

I'm happy with who I am right now but I can't tell if 10 year old me would be. I don't really remember what I used to like/dream. I do know I've completely switched my interests, beliefs, hobbies, pretty much everything. And I'm not catholic anymore, I wonder how my 10 year old self would feel about that. Also I remember I always wanted to "be pretty and skinny" when I grew up. I guess I've accomplished that, considering I'm in good shape and in general terms "pretty". Haha, yeah. Now that I think about it she'd also be proud of my taste in fashion. Lol.
This made me think a lot about myself as a kid and right now. Really good post OP. I had read this question before but never gave it a thought. Well done :)
Edit: Young me would probably be disappointed I haven't found a perfect boyfriend to have a perfect love story with yet. haha.

I think young me would be disappointed I haven't married any of my celebrity crushes.

often imagined my future self visiting me saying this will happen that will happen. I was 10 years old again surprised at how much I've changed but maybe slightly scared...
...I'm more confident (tick)
...I have a job as a dog walker (cool)
...We get a Westie (cute, always liked those ceaser dog food adverts)
...I can drive (good)
...my legs don't work properly after an accident (scary!!!)
...the guy i love is with another woman even though he's got a thing for me (too sad...trying to move on)
...your being kicked out of the home grew up in because your dad runs off with another women then comes back and claims the house when he runs out of money and has your left you fending for yourself worried about paying the next bill that comes through your bedsit door (what the f*ck happpened there :()

What I want right now to is have a future me from 5 years from now to tell me about my love life :D

If I really got visited by my future self I'd think what on earth was in my tea this morning???? :)

My opinions have changed so much since then. I'm sure I wouldn't be too disappointed though.

I've wanted to ask a question like this but couldn't quite put it into words. Thank you OP!

If my 10 year old self met the me of today, I think I would be impressed...and a little confused. Yes, I am that arrogant. But I generally like myself and believe I make a good role model for children. I don't think I'd be that exciting to visit, but I would treat me like a person and not a child. I always hated that as a kid.