There's nothing like being a kid. You view the world so differently, are always brutally honest, and every day feels like an adventure. My childhood was full of magical experiences that I sometimes like to look back on. You can never actually go back in time and relive an experience, but sometimes by just thinking about a certain day or looking through old photos everything starts to come back. Here's what I miss most about my childhood.
1. Being carefree.
When I think of what it truly means to be carefree, I picture myself running or playing outside as a child and just enjoying that moment. It was so easy to really immerse yourself in a moment as a child. When you were having fun outside with friends nothing else mattered. You didn't have any big projects or deadlines, mountains of homework or really any stress. You just enjoyed every moment for what it was and didn't have any distractions.
2. Simpler lifestyle.
The lifestyle of a child is completely unique and different than anything you will encounter as a teenager or adult. Everything seemed so simple and straightforward. You got up, went to school, came home and maybe did homework for only 30 minutes. That's living if you ask me. In my adult years sometimes I miss that simple lifestyle. Not having a lot of responsibilities, having fun at school with my friends and so on. Once you leave the fifth grade you can kiss all of that goodbye. Getting older and having more of a life is good but sometimes it would be nice to go back and live like a kid again.
3. Living at home.
This is one of the things I really took for granted as a child. Living at home with my parents seemed so normal to me that I didn't think twice about it. It wasn't until I went to college and started to go home less that I really appreciated my time there. There is something so comforting about being at your own house that you can't really replicate. No matter what decor you put in a dorm room or apartment it's just not going to feel the same as being in your childhood home. I think it is important to leave home and see other parts of the world for many reasons, but my memories of just being at home with my family are some of my favorites.
4. Having a childlike mindset.
It is easy to forget how you thought about things as a child. The mindset of a child can never be replaced as you grow up but sometimes it's nice to reminisce. I find that, while going through old photos of myself as a child, those childlike emotions start to come back. I start to remember how much I liked a certain dress, how excited I was to be on vacation and so on. I can never replicate those feelings again because your personality naturally changes as you grow older, but I still find it nice to remember those feelings.
5. Seeing family/friends everyday.
This is ultimately what I miss most about my childhood. During childhood, you get to be in a familiar setting with your friends and family everyday and life seems great. Like I previously mentioned, I didn't realize how lucky I was to see my friends and family everyday until I didn't anymore. This is honestly still something that upsets me sometimes. When you grow up and are not a kid anymore, you have to choose what you're going to do with your life. This usually entails going to work or school (or both) and becoming more busy. Since you're more busy it becomes harder to see the people you really care about. You still want to see your friends and family, you just see them less due to everyone's busy schedules. This is what I cherish the most about my childhood. I have so many memories with my family and friends that I will never forget. Sometimes I wish I could still come home from school everyday and be with my parents again, but I'm thankful for the time I was able to do that.
Childhood memories and feelings are (usually) fun to look back on. Sometimes you don't realize how good you had it until it's gone but that's okay. As a child you didn't think about how you were going to miss things as you got older, you just lived in the moment and experienced life. And that's all a part of the process of growing up. You live, learn, and reflect on your life in order to make decisions. So sure, you grow up and become an adult but sometimes it's nice to look back and reflect on being a child again.
