Childhood On A Deadline

I entered the DMV on my 16th birthday with a mission: escape the grip that my age had on my independence.
The moment I obtained my drivers license, I was out the door. I watched myself go from a dependent passenger to an independent driver in only a single day.
But the excitement I had about getting my driver’s license quickly turned to anguish as I realized that I had grown up.
Your driver’s license is the key to freedom and autonomy. The only caveat is that the door you use the key on leads to adulthood, and the moment you turn that key, you are leaving behind your childhood with no hope of returning.
Each time I see a child playing at the park or grocery shopping with their parents, I look back at the days when all I wanted to do was grow up. Going to high school, getting a job, and getting my driver’s license were all that I could dream of. In my eyes, the epitome of life was to be independent.
My biggest regret is not savoring the days when my biggest worry was what flavor of popsicle my mom would give me after a long day learning how to spell three-letter words.
Now I look forward to the thought of graduating. In the next year, I will officially become an adult and decide where to attend college. Younger me would look at this moment as a feat, but I now look at this decision towering over me and wonder where my childhood went.
As excited as I am for the future, part of me still wishes that my childhood lasted longer. But ready or not, growing up is inevitable. As your age climbs into the teens, so do your responsibilities. We are all expected to join the workforce, go to college, and move out all before we can realize that we are no longer kids. Our lives change so quickly that we don’t even have a chance to slow it down.
The expectations for teens surrounding how we do in school, participate in sports, and plan for our futures are strict and fast moving. Being booked and busy is the norm, not even having a chance to live the last few years of our childhoods fully.
Not only parents, but social media also plays a role in the hurriedness we feel in growing up. Influencers portray the normal teen as someone who makes a steady income, has their own car, and a job. When that’s what I am up against, it will always be a game of catch up. And a losing battle.
But what are we going to do about it? We can’t stop time or go back through the years. We must take every opportunity we can to soak up the few remaining childhood years we have left.
By sitting on the old, rusty swings you used to love as a child or rejecting your pile of homework to play soccer with your old neighborhood friends, we can all take a moment to remember that even with the many responsibilities we have now, we are still just kids.
Even with life moving as quickly as it does, we still must try to relish in our childhood as long as we can, because once we leave it behind, it’s gone forever.