When I Grew Up

                Remember back when you were a kid, and you were always getting asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I know I answered something different just about every time I was asked; I wanted to be a ballerina one day and queen of the universe the next. My occupations ranged from teacher to monster truck driver, and I was always on the lookout for something new. Sometimes I would even mix it up and hope to become the Tooth Fairy or maybe a vampire. But the funny thing was, I was always asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, not whether or not I even wanted to grow up period. I know I was one of those children that couldn’t wait to get out of school and start a career, but I had never anticipated where I’m at now.

                When I was younger all I wanted to do was grow up. I was tired of being treated like a child, and I thought growing up would automatically earn me more respect. In retrospect, it has. But now that I have grown up I’m not sure I like it so much. I’m at the point in my life where getting asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is no longer just some random question with a quick, easy, simple answer. It is now a serious thing to consider. What do I really want to be when I grow up?

                The hardest thing for me is knowing that I’m where I wanted to be all those years ago. I wanted to grow up, and now look at me. There is so much more crap to deal with the older you get- it actually sucks more than way back in my training wheel days. I mean think about it; back then all you had to do to answer the question was come up with some random job and go with it. Now you are taken seriously, and are forced to actually give an answer that you truly stand behind…Which means you are expected to act serious and professional and provide an answer that is not only socially acceptable, but something for your parents to be proud of. Oh and it has to be something you are excited to be doing for the rest of your life. No pressure, guys. No pressure.

                Except all of us that have grown up feel the damn pressure. It’s horrible! I know what I want to be, but I have no idea if I’ll be able to actually get there. Growing up takes work, and a lot of it. Sometimes I wish I could just hit rewind and go back to the time when color by numbers were all you had for homework, the time when boys still had cooties, and the time when what I wanted to be when I grew up was nothing more than a mythical being.

 

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