Growing up is what every kid is eager to do–think of the freedom!–but is the dream all it’s made out to be?
When I was a child, I thought that when I grew up I would do anything I wanted. I wanted to be a child with the freedom of an adult. I wanted to live with my best friends and get a high paying job for no work and have play dates every other day in our huge mansion. I would eat whatever I wanted and stay up as late as I wanted. My parents would no longer be around to tell me what to do or how to do it. I would be free.
But I am not free. I do not have playdates every other day. I do not have a mansion either. Growing up is not as exciting as our parents encouraged us to believe. I am probably not going to have the highest paying job that I just so happen to find totally fascinating. Growing up is overrated. I thought that life would be so easy when I grew up. It just got harder. Now that I’m older, school’s hard, work sucks, relationships are hard to maintain, gas is super expensive, and I don’t even have to pay bills yet. Getting older means having more responsibilities, and responsibilities are exhausting.
I do not get to stay up late because if I do, I will be miserable. I do not get to play games on my phone all the time, otherwise I will get a headache. I do not even get to see my friends all the time because I am always busy. The “freedom” kids think they’ll have when they grow up is a lie. Adults just get the freedom to decide between going to bed at a decent time or staying up late and being exhausted at work the next day.
Tired or not, people do not like their jobs. Studies completed by Career Vision show that only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their jobs. That means more than half of all Americans are not satisfied with their jobs. That is very sad. As children we expect to grow up and get the job of our dreams. I am not saying that those who do not get the job of their dreams hate their jobs. They could have very good jobs. I am saying that life does not go as we expect when we are kids.
I know that, at seventeen, I have very little life experience. From what I have experienced, I know that it gets harder the older I get. After high school I go to college, after college I start working to pay off college, after I pay off college, I have kids and work to pay for them, and then I am an adult. I am an adult that goes to the same job everyday. Then comes home to watch the kids. After you retire you stay at home all day and play board games with your significant other. After childhood you go into being an adult. Maybe being an adult isn’t as bad as I make it seem, but it is definitely not what it’s hyped up to be.
Featured photo: Edmond Dantès from Pexels
The Pine Needle 