Does anyone remember when they were 10-years-old? For me, I used to wake up on a Saturday morning to watch cartoons before breakfast, eager to see what was going to happen on the next episode of "Codename: Kids Next Door." When I got older, it became a later morning. The days became more family oriented. My sister and I were less of a hassle at the ages of 14 and 15. You might say, more mature. We were now aware of the big headlines in the news, but for the most part, we weren't very interested. You could often find me playing Pokémon in the car, rather than reading the New York Times. I'd wager that my experiences are pretty similar to other kids who had the good fortune of living a comfortable life.
Sadly, we all don't. Many children in impoverished families don't have the luxury of sitting in front of a TV at seven in the morning. These children have lost their chance at a childhood. We are very fortunate. That's why we can't take it for granted. We don't know what we have until it's gone.
I, at my young age of 19 (with 20 just around the corner), am by many people's definitions, still a kid. But at this point in my life, I'm on the cusp of full-on adulthood. Come the second of February, my teenage years will be in my rearview mirror. A memory, another milestone of my youth gone. It puts it all in perspective -- that magical number of 20. The reality hits that in a few more years, we’ll have to be self-reliant. Soon enough, we'll be having new experiences: paying rent; working full time; eventually settling down and having a family.
We're not Peter Pan. We will always be growing up; and when we get on in age, we'll look back and wish we were kids again. I shudder at the thought. The responsibility of adulthood is looming over my head like a seemingly endless thunderstorm. But then I think of the young 14-year-olds of today and I feel even sadder.
Social media is, inadvertently, speeding up aging. Often I see the children of today, and I don't see the childhood in them anymore. Young boys and girls ages 11, 12, 13 and so on are deep into Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, constantly peering into the never-ending abyss of the media that is their smartphones. Here, they have access to the world. The Internet, thanks to the smartphone is at everybody's fingertips. Anything from funny cat videos to angry rants on YouTube to ISIS beheadings is accessible with an iPhone and wi-fi. Do we trust that our kids won't stumble upon graphic content?
Make no mistake, there will come a time in our lives when we can't avoid the negative news and glaring issues in the world. We are all exposed to it at a certain age. But shouldn't we, for the sake of prolonging that childhood, do whatever we must keep our children -- well, children? Down the road, they will learn about these issues, formulate their own opinions and shape the world. But when they get on in age and are wishing they were still kids, they'll be thankful they didn't have their time cut short.
