Carefree

Adults - a very weird species. As adults we're allowed to do anything that pleases us; except criminal activities. The world is an open playground where we can do what we like and not do what we don't want to. Also we're burdened with responsibility and to keep us our appearance as an adult nonetheless; now that always doesn't sit well with "doing anything that pleases." We becoming an adult may come into view as adventurous but I don't think any adult is ever excited about paying bills or get excited seeing their empty wallets. Though we have our adventures. Starting a career, living by ourselves, managing our things our own way; all of that are one mini adventures each that shape up to our life ahead.

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My niece has been complaining that she can't go out like I do or work or do stuff that I do; she doesn't have the slightest idea that I wish I could turn back time and be her age again. She's almost 11 now. And like all the kids her age, she doesn't like to study much, nor eat vegetables, nor she wants to sleep on time but there are few things she enjoys doing such as playing games (indoors and outdoors) and nag. When she says that she wants to grow up and work like me or my work is easy and my thoughts are exactly "Wana switch places?" It isn't highly unlikely for kids to want to be grown up or act like an adult without realizing what they are trading it with. She doesn't realize that she's growing up every moment; every second she's getting older. Soon enough she'll be older like me but I'll be much much older and even then I would want to be younger again. We want to be older just once in our life and that is when we are kids and after that we never once want to be old.

When we were kids, we wanted to be the grown ups for our own reasons. We wanted to sleep less, play more, eat a bunch of candies and other stuff, not eat vegetables, act like adults and what not. Back then, no matter what we set our heart out to be, first and foremost we wanted to be grown up; to be our own boss was the target. You'll catch seeing them wearing your shoes and accessories just to look like you or the older version of themselves. That's also common among the younger siblings who worship their older brothers or sisters. Now as an adult we want to sleep more, play or socialize less, eat anything that our hearts desire but not get fattened up, wonder why we became an adult in the first place. See, we have acquired that one goal but now we're more troubled than before. We do get what we want usually; the place and time aren't cooperative always. Even we at times are unsure if what we want is truly what we desire.

It's not about what we consider desirable or undesirable; it's also about the responsibility that we shoulder and the impression we make among others. Children can appear the way they are, I'm not talking about the mannerisms here; they don't have to act differently or hide their emotions. As grown ups we're supposed to act a certain way; we reveal our true selves among people close to us and we behave differently with strangers. No matter how much we say "Be yourself" it's only viable for the younger generation and the older generation either put on a mask or play a weird version of "Guess Who?" game. Children are a responsibility to their parents; parents, as grown up, are their own liability. The parents care for the kids and look after them, teach them about anything and everything they can.

Although as free as they may seem, nothing is free. We pay the price of being older by leaving our younger self behind. Being an adult that you have to act maturely and be open minded, understanding and such; but never can we ever be a kid again. We'll be older reminiscing about the past that we've left behind and an immeasurable amount of stories for our next generation and the ones after. And just sometimes we let that inner child lose and be free; that's a once in a blue moon kind of a thing.