When you're a little kid, you can't stop wishing to grow up: you want to make your own bed time, you want to be able to see PG-13 and R-Rated movies, and you want to be able to choose if you have ice cream for breakfast every day. What you don't realize, though, is that adults lose a lot of very special things that only little kids can have - things you'll miss when you're sitting at your kitchen table trying to do your taxes.
Nap time was soooo unappreciated
It's funny how kids absolutely dread nap time (except me. I was the kid to actually ASK my mom if I could take a nap.) Either way, it seems that the older you get, the more you want (and need) a nap, but the less hours there are in a day.What seemed "difficult" as a kid is nothing compared to what "difficult" is as an adult.
I'll never forget the day when I was about four years old, my best friend, Syd, stole my blue sparkly crayon. It was like the end of the world for me. After all, the crayon was a combination of my two favorite colors: blue and sparkle. Today, Syd and I are still best friends, though I am still waiting for the day she returns my crayon.
Quite honestly, though, I'd take someone stealing 1,000 of my blue sparkly crayons today over spending my week stressed about making enough money to eat (somewhat) healthy, bickering with my landlord, and writing three papers that are all due the same day.
You could hide behind your parents' legs if you didn't want to deal with society
Actually, I didn't do this one much as a kid. If it were socially acceptable at this age, though, I'd definitely take advantage.
Making friends was a piece of cake
As a kid, it was so easy to make friends. You could just go up to any other kid on the playground and ask them to go on the swing set with you, and that was completely normal. Now, if I want to make a friend at work, I actually have to work on forming a relationship, which takes time and effort. Plus, there aren't any swing sets at work to use as an excuse to get to know someone.
Food magically appeared on the table
I miss the days where I would get home from school and, boom, there was a hot meal on the table. Little did I know that actually having to make food for myself would be such a game changer. Cooking takes a lot of dang time and money, and that sure isn't something you realize when you're a little kid! I appreciate home cooked meals now more than ever.
There were so many more valuable excuses
Today, if you don't want to go somewhere, it's not like you can say, "Sorry. Can't go. I'm six, so I can't drive and I don't have a phone to call an Uber" or "Sorry this paper is late. It's because I was too busy throwing a hissy fit in the corner when the deadline arrived."
Imagination
This is, by far, the thing I miss most about being a little kid. I would spend hours on end with my best friends Becca and Angela pretending we were fairies, playing with Barbies, and making up crazy rules to games that we invented. Imagination is just something that is part of a child's life, so it's impossible to know how important it is until it's faded away. This is the real reason why adults had always told me to, "appreciate being a kid while it lasts!"
Now, it's time to go grocery shopping...
