If seeing photos of Hilary Duff and her adorable son plastered across Us Weekly and People still freaks you out, you're probably still not used to seeing little Lizzie McGuire with a kid! From having first crushes (hello, Ethan Craft!) to dealing with catty cheerleaders, everything we know about navigating middle school we learned from Lizzie. We loved growing up with the Disney starlet, and now that we're all grown up, we appreciate the lessons Lizzie taught us more than ever. In honor of our favorite awkward middle schooler, we rounded up the most important life lessons Lizzie McGuire taught us.
1. Just because he has gorgeous hair doesn't mean he has any brains.
2. People change, especially when bras are involved.
3. No matter how much you fight, your parents will always be there for you.
4. You shouldn't put pressure on yourself to be model-thin, and the right guy shouldn't pressure you, either.
5. Don't be in such a rush to outgrow your childhood.
6. Have confidence in your own kickass ideas.
7. Don't lose your friends by pretending to be something you're not.
8. The guys who were nerdy in middle school are the guys you want to date now.
9. It's okay to be having a horrible day and just want to vent about it.
10. It doesn't matter how big your wardrobe is - you will always have days where you can't find a thing to wear.
11. Your best friends will always be there for you.
12. Junk food is the answer to all of life's problems.
13. Sometimes the perfect guy has been right there all along.
While the years of asking our parents to record our favorite episodes (the murder-mystery party!) on a VCR are over, the lessons Lizzie taught us are just as much a part of our lives now as they were when we first fell in love with the show. There was something about an adorably awakward middle school girl that felt relatable to us all, and we can't thank Lizzie McGuire enough for everything she taught us, one-armed cartwheels included.
