Childhood is defined as a state of being a child, or a period in which a person is a child, at least according to google. Ask someone you know or even just a person walking by though and they will tell you it’s a stage of innocence. A stage filled with laughter and imaginative mischief. A time where the future possibilities are endless and the sky is the limit. When you still stay up all night on Christmas eve in the hopes of catching a peek of Santa Claus. Your mind isn’t weighed down with the senseless murders and bombings that litter the media. Nor do they feel the impending doom that is our presidential election. They aren’t bothered by the color of your skin, nor whether you want to be called a boy or a girl. They’re just discovering what this world is and they're embracing it with open arms.

What happens though when we take that stage away from them? What happens when instead of frolicking through the damped field, they’re told they can’t leave the house because they have to watch their younger siblings? What happens when the overwhelming stress of being an adult washes over onto them? What happens when instead of being joyful and worry free, we force them to grow up?

13-20% of children from all racial/ethical backgrounds experience a mental disorder during their adolescent years. A lot of these kids will grow up into adults who will suffer from mental illnesses the rest of their lives. Sure, they’ll be mature for this age, have a good head on their shoulders and even be another person you can rely on.

You shouldn’t though.

You see, kids are supposed to be immature little butt wipes. They’re supposed to laugh at words like butt and vagina. They should be playing outside until it’s dark or ‘wasting’ their Saturday playing video games. They’re going to need discipline and structure, yes. But don’t take away their years of freedom yet.

We need to stop turning our daughters into mothers. We raise them to take care of their little brothers and sisters until they view them as their own children. What are we showing them what women can be if all we do is expect them to take care of adult responsibilities? In 2013 over 26% of pregnant women were between the ages of 15-17. Babies are having babies. Now, many of these could be contributed to not enough knowledge of contraceptives and lack of understanding in sexual education. Rape is also a factor in these statistics, but nonetheless, any of these scenarios results in a child being stripped of a crucial part of their upbringing. I’ve seen instances like this first hand. Instead of playing with friends her own age, she watches the toddlers before her like a mother bear. When one falls down, she scoops them into her arms and comforts them in a way that makes my stomach uneasy. I can see the years of innocence slip away.

Adults also need to stop putting their feelings of stress and hardship onto their children. Your adult problems do not override your child’s stresses, nor do you get to decide if what their feeling is valid or not. Kids are watching us, every second of the day. They can’t wait to grow up, but we shouldn’t push them too. It isn’t fair. Our world can be so ugly and grey, but they see it as a vast, explorable place that they can put their mark on. When we start telling them that the rent is due, but the gas could be getting shut off any day now, we’re dimming their light a little bit at a time.

Then when we do ruin their childhoods, when we take away the innocence that wasn’t ours to take, we usually get one of two things. We get adults who are in and out of jail, drug abusers seeking another fix, domestic violence abusers, etc. We’ve destroyed their hope and wonder of the world, so they’re left trying to fill a void that we as adults caused. Or you get the ones who refused to be what you became. The ones who fought hard and studied. The ones who worked their asses off. The ones who just want to see a better, easier world for their kids to grow up in. You call these people old souls, but really their just tired. Tired of fighting for everything in their lives, tired of being the one people go to for advice, because well, you have experience in it probably. You’re tired of the world leaning on you and then yelling at you when you can’t take anymore. They’re only in their twenties, but they’re exhausted.

So let kids be kids and leave adulting to the grown-ups, k?