I Never Want To Stop Growing Up
Start writing a post
Student Life

I Never Want To Stop Growing Up

Why does reaching adulthood mean we have to stop growing?

144
I Never Want To Stop Growing Up
Myles Tan

While having dinner with my parents and their friends a few weeks ago, one of them said, “when I grow up, I want to be an artist.” Everyone at the table laughed, seeing as though the comment came from someone who could have been deemed a “grown-up” for at least 30 years. While it was funny at the moment, it made me begin to wonder: when do we officially become grown-ups, anyway? And, why does that mean we have to stop growing?

As I am writing this, there are only two weeks left in my junior year of college, after which I will enter my final year before the daunting age of adulthood in the real world. Being a senior in college always seemed so far off in the future, almost as if it might never truly come, so it feels especially strange that I’m not still a kid figuring everything out even though I still think I am.

I vividly remember being in middle school and being terrified of walking through the high school hallway, where all the students seemed so much taller, wiser and older than I was. Though it’s been ten years, I still feel like an anxious sixth-grader just trying to get to class on time.

Approaching my senior year is also scary because it’s a milestone I have always imagined so differently. When I was younger, I believed that by the time I was 21 I would have my life path completely planned, and basically would have everything figured out. I looked at the adults around me and thought they knew everything, and that they were there to help me grow and understand the world. While 21 certainly doesn’t mean I’ve reached peak adulthood, it does make me feel like I’m no longer a child with someone holding my hand.

Getting closer to being a “grown-up” has made me realize one thing: I never want to stop growing up. I don’t mean to say that I always want someone there to treat me like a child and make sure I’m doing what I am supposed to do, but rather that I never want to reach a point where I feel like there’s nothing else to learn or improve on.

While I used to look at the adults in my life and believe they knew everything, getting older has shown me that, in reality, no one really knows what they’re doing, and they’re still figuring everything out.

I don’t believe there is a certain age when we should tell ourselves to stop having ambitions or goals. In ten, twenty, thirty years, I hope to have the same drive that I have now and that I had as a sixth-grader who was just excited to walk through the high school hallway.

I hope that I’ll always be able to say “when I grow up…” at any age because I’ll never feel like I’ve stopped growing.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58217
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37502
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959136
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

193035
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments