I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and they said that being an adult sucks. They went on to talk about taxes, responsibilities, and a slew of other things. She then asked me what I made of all of it. I suggested that she get a ball pit and not worry about the other things since it’s just part of being an adult, and that isn’t all that bad since it’s our turn to decide what being an adult actually means. I was then told to be quiet and go find a calculator so she could finish her taxes. Something I’ve noticed more and more as I’ve aged is that the older you get, the younger you want to be, but only if no one tells you that. Take, for example, the snow fall we’ve had lately. I have seen innumerable amounts of people out frolicking in the snow making snowmen and snow angels, and I saw something that looked like a giant snow McNugget as well. However, when you tell people our age that they are being juvenile or not acting their age, they seem to get upset about this or try to deny it or “whatever whatever.”
I would like to think that I’m a fairly well adjusted young man; I do my homework, I do my laundry as often as needed and I try to be mature about how I handle every day challenges. However, I still think that cartoons are amazing, and there is always room for ice cream after a meal. I have trouble keeping a straight face when my boss tells me what my daily duties are. There isn’t anything bad about acting like a little kid every once in a while. It’s when people start having temper tantrums when they aren’t allowed to have a quarter for the bouncy ball dispenser, that a problem arises.
What I’d like to understand is, when did having an innocently good time become a blight on one’s character? I understand that adults are supposed to be adults, children will be children and old people will sort of be like children, but is it necessary to present a rigid structure of maturity at all times? When was the last time you decided to stomp in a puddle just to see how big of a splash you can make? When did you last pretend you were on a tightrope when you were walking along a curb? And have you not felt slightly guilty about wanting to eat desert before dinner? There is always a time and place for everything, but when is the time and place for blowing off a little steam and cracking a smile in this day and age considered appropriate anymore?
Kyle Bishop is a student at West Chester University. He can be reached at KB667205@wcupa.edu.