I am.
To the Op: I enjoy being able to know enough about life, where I don’t have to worry like I did when I was a kid. Enough to know a probably outcome, to be able to provide for myself, etc…etc…
Logistically more difficult. Emotionally easier. What would be really cool would be to do childhood again knowing what I know now.
Adulthood is several times less difficult and more rewarding. Everything is much easier and people treat adults so much better. No comparison.
Recently spotted bumper sticker: “You’re never too old to have a happy childhood”
My life started when I left home and drove off to college. I hated being a teenager. College was a blast and life after graduation has been even better. I have a great life and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Yes, people face unexpected tragedy but other than that, life is as difficult as you make it.
I don’t remember anyone telling me that adulthood was all that hard. And I wasn’t interested in growing up faster as a kid. I actually remember being bummed out when I turned 13 because I felt over the hill.
But I do enjoy being a grownup. The shit that comes with it (work, house chores, financial worries, car breaking down, etc.) is more than paid for in all the freedom and self-determination you get. As a kid, I was always forced to go to this and that place or do this or that thing and BE HAPPY about it! I didn’t even have the freedom to show displeasure at the things I was subjected to. I wouldn’t go back to that life with all the money in the world.*
*well, I’d think about it.
For all the reasons stated (more articulately that I could have stated 'em), I totally dig being a grown-up, but I think you’ve got a point here, msmith.
It’s kind of weird to realize that, gee . . . now there’s no more juicy mystery about what I’m going to be when I grow up, whether or not I’ll get married (and to whom), or whether or not I’ll ever grow large breasts.
Still, even though my current mysteries are not as juicy, I’m still totally intrigued by them: Will I be hot in middle age (the “Yeah, Baby” kind of hot, not the menopausal kind of hot)? Will I ever do anything ELSE for a living? Will I ever get my Airstream trailer? Will I still look at my husband 25 years from now and love him so much that I just want to crawl up his butt and sleep there? Or will it be more practical for HIM to crawl up MY butt, because it’s five times larger than it used to be?
So see? The mystery never really ends.
I haven’t been a teenager for almost 40 years. Some of those grown-up years were pretty good. Some were the worst years of my life (responsibilities, debt, family hassles)
My mid- to late teens were pretty damn cool. I mean, 1969 to 1971 were some hellacious years to be a teenager.
My recent years have been some of the best years (no debt, job I finally like).
Six more years and I retire. Those’ll be the best of all.
I found being a child profoundly lonely. I was a big dork, so that probably had a lot to do with it. No one really wants you around when you’re a kid, except maybe your parents. And if they have other things on their minds (divorce, remarriage, holding down a job), not even that.
Now, I’m married to a wonderful guy, and everyone else I spend my time with (outside of work, of course) is choosing to spend time with me. Makes me feel a lot more secure.
And the responsibility, although sometimes daunting (and sometimes almost crushing), is a completely fair payment for the freedom of choice. I’d never go back.
Come on. If you had all the money in the world, it wouldn’t be worth anything because you’d be the only one who had it. People would just use shells or something for currency.
So what was the answer to the last one?
When you’re young, the smallest problems seem like Life-Ending Crises. I mean, that’s standard issue; it’s part of being young – partly the young psyche, partly not being used to dealing with your problems, partly your lack of experience and knowledge about how to deal with them, partly the Ocean of Hormones during the teenage years, etc.
I really, really appreciate the fact that my life isn’t an emotional roller-coaster anymore. Sometimes I get wistful for my various Epic Romances, but I also enjoy not putting up with the teen angst – they call it “angst” because it really does hurt, you know.
I thought that staying on top of everything would be horrendously difficult and boring. Well, it’s no stroll through a bed of roses sometimes, but like everyone else I’m amazed to find how natural it seems to be. I’ve even found myself spontaneously cleaning, if you can credit it.
Absolutly. I always had good friends growing up but that can’t compare to a life-partner. The hastle that goes with being an adult is worth it for that alone.
I’d only ever want to go back to being a Kid if I could take my knowledge and experience with me. That’d be ace.
A big, fat, resounding “HELLLLLL NAW!”
But one of the good things about being an adult is gaining the knowledge that big boobs aren’t as important as you once thought. (Or, in some cases I guess, gaining the means and the freedom to buy yoursef some . . . .) 