When I think about my favorite memories, they all fall during a time in my childhood. Being a child meant less, if any, responsibility and worrying. Not knowing heart break was such a thing, or that evil was everywhere around us. At the moment, time seemed to stand still. But before you knew it, everything was different. One day, I realized heart break and evil was more common than love and good.

From neighborhood friends, teammates, and school peers, I had so many friends during my childhood. There were no “clicks” or “loners”, everyone was friends with everyone. That changed to now having a couple best friends I see maybe on the weekends. Between work shifts, college, and homework, it makes it difficult to see friends. Although, technology makes communication very easy to at least keep in touch with them. Everyone has cell phones and social media, no more calling someone up on your home phone for a quick conversation. Recess used to be the part of the day everyone looked forward too. It was the highlight of our days at elementary school. Now, we look forward to getting off of a long shift or getting out of a lecture.

When I would get out of school when I was young, my free time was spent outside. Whether I was playing soccer or riding my bike to the candy jar, I loved being outdoors and would get so sad when mom made us come in. Now a days, my free time is spent napping, Netflix, doing homework or laundry; all that fun adult stuff. I have to pick and choose what I have time for but when I was a child, time was all I had. I miss believing that boys had cooties. My favorite shirt growing up said, “Soccer or boys? Who needs boys anyway?” Well, I do. That’s all that people care about in high school and continuing in college. It is always about who is dating who, and cheating with who. Boys bring drama and excitement in life. The most drama I had growing up was who was couple skating with who at school skate night.

Sometimes I wish I could get that “who needs boys anyway” feeling and confidence back. The biggest change of all is your independence. Going from always needing mom and dad for just about everything, food, transportation, basic needs, to having to supply all of that on your own. Want to go somewhere? You need money for gas, if you even have a car. Need food? You have to have money in order to buy food. Therefore you need a job. Independence is very nice to have, but it is something you have to work for to keep. Welcome to the adult life.

It makes me look forward to having my own kids one day. To see on their faces that they have no care or responsibility. And maybe a little bit of those feeling will rub off on me and I will feel like a child again for a moment. I want my kids to look back like I do and think of all the great memories they had in their childhood. I want them to have the best of times before things start to get cold and scary.