We’re losing the concept of childhood: the idea that our childhood is precious, that children should be children. Children are dressing the way teenagers should and teenagers are dressing like grown women. We no longer value our childhood like we used to. It’s all about the future, there is no living in the now. When I was younger, all I wanted to do was grow up. I couldn’t wait to have men falling at my feet, I couldn’t wait to look the way Beyonce did in her videos, and to sing about something real like love or heartbreak with the raw emotion that comes with experience. I was lucky to have a childhood before technology took over our lives. And when it did, it took my childhood with it.
Growing up, in some ways, is as glamorous as it was made out to be. However, growing up comes with so many pressures and responsibilities. It’s crazy because we are taught this idea so many years in advance, yet are so shocked when it becomes our reality. “You are only young once, enjoy it while you can. Be a kid for as long as possible,” teachers, parents, and family members used to preach. I wish I had believed them, listened to them, and followed their instructions like a religion. As we grow up, our parents begin to loosen their ropes a bit and let us make our own decisions. When we’re younger, that sounds like some sort of heaven. But the minute you reach the milestone age of 16, you start being pulled into a whole new world, where Spongebob is replaced with CNN and where getting your nails done was a treat from your parents to you paying for both you and your mom’s nail appointment.
We now have the pressures from society to think about- when we were just kids, other’s opinions held no weight. It’s now our job to maneuver ourselves in this world, to pick what side of society we stand with. We have half of society telling us that drugs are wrong and ruin your life, and then another half saying drugs are medicine and recreational and fighting for weed legalization. Many in our generation have found themselves standing with the latter. I am not pushing the use of drugs nor supporting it, but peer pressure is everywhere. We are the generation of the future and we must listen to every side and somehow figure out our place and all of the chaos. Elections just ended and many of us were faced with the voting in one of the worst elections we’ve ever seen thus far. We were given the responsibility to research the candidates and examine their policies, watch their speeches, follow their campaigns and the duty to our country to pick who we thought best for America. Our America.
Appearance is also a large issue as we grow into young men and women. Skinny is pushed from magazines, yet thick bodies are glorified and loved in social media, but only for women. It’s as if society is telling our boys that the minute they start gaining weight, they are wholly undesirable. While bigger woman aren’t the most desired women, according to magazines and runways, we are taking strides in appearance acceptance. But what about the big guys? That is another pressure we have been so graciously given. The pressure to fix every problem that America has and that has been left behind from previous generations- racism, sexism, wage gaps, and beyond. We have been labeled as the sensitive generation, but we have the right to be sensitive and we want our voices to be heard.
We are the generation that grew up too fast, yet we will be the generation to make everyone proud.