For as long as I can remember, I've always been more mature for my age than others were. This isn't necessarily a bad thing until I forgot to enjoy being a kid. I was always the kid who kept you in check, who was bossy, who was no fun because she was too uptight. I was the kid who always felt out of place because her mind was more mature than her age let her be. I grew up fast because I wanted to. All I looked forward to as a kid was growing up and being independent, doing whatever it was that I wanted to do and to live amongst others who were just as mature as I was.

I was everyone's 'mom' as a child. Even in parent-teacher conferences, the teachers would tell my parents that I would "one day be a good mom" because of my "leadership" skills. They basically told my parents I was bossy and that I needed to let kids learn things for themselves. But as a kid, I didn't want my friends to have to learn the hard way. I wanted to prevent them from trouble. I wanted them to see what I saw and to know that the choices they made sometimes weren't the best ones. So, while everyone was busy living their life and enjoying their youth, I was the one who wanted to grow up quickly to avoid all of the nonsense.