Most of the time, kids can't wait to grow up and become an adult. Then no one can tell you how you should dress, what your friends should be like, or what you should do in every situation. I see it everywhere, all the time. I grew up surrounded by friends and acquaintances or even strangers who had the idea that their overbearing parents were the worst thing ever. Now I'm not saying that it doesn't suck. As a teenager, I totally get it. This isn't about the kids who were forced to "stay young kids" and have guidance until they left the nest. This is about the kids like me, because I know I'm not alone.
I didn't grow up wishing I was a grown up; I grew up wishing my parents were. I know there are others out there who grew up the same way. Taking care of your parents should not be the job of a child until you're an adult; that is when you're supposed to return the favor. When you're forced to take care of yourself and your family before you're old enough to know about puberty, it's hard to want to be an adult. When you think all you have to look forward to is late nights, random drunken spells, and the occasional jail trip, adulthood isn't appealing. I may have wished I could be somewhere else, and wished I was old enough to leave -- but to be an adult was the last thing on my mind.
Going through the system people would tell me that I shouldn't have had to grow up, and that I should have had a childhood. In some ways I did, but I knew that a normal childhood was not in the cards for me. As I grew older and was given a childhood for a short period of time before being thrown into adulthood, I longed so badly to be a child for just a little longer. (Yes, "thrown" is the correct word of choice when describing the transitioning period between high school and adult-life).
For those who had to grow up too quickly, and weren't given the childhood they so desperately wished for, I understand what you're going through. There is such a big world, and knowing you aren't alone is half the battle.
There are perks because at age 20 you're more mature than 3/4's of your graduating class. You make decisions based on what would realistically be attainable. You almost never think of yourself first, and sometimes that can be extremely bad. But for the most part it's a really great trait. Lastly, you will give your children the childhood that those kids you grew up around had. Your child will wish you'd back off, but in the end will thank you for never doing so.
To those who started being adults as kids: You are not alone, and being an adult isn't the worse thing in the world. When you look at your peers who can't grasp the concept of adulthood, you'll be there to help them out!
