There are lots of things that are nice about being an adult, of course.
But as an adult, there have been multiple times where I have looked back longingly at my childhood for this reason: it was great to not have to be ultimately responsible for very much.
Of course, I had my own kid responsibilities (chores, school*, activities, music practice, etc.), but nothing big rested on my shoulders.
*ok, I did have some serious thoughts about school when I was four.
As a kid, I didn’t have to pay for things, fix broken things, manage other people’s schedules, make big decisions, be ultimately responsible for navigating hard interpersonal situations, and more.
Assuming you are in a stable family, when you are a kid and something hard comes up, there’s always someone you can kind of hand it off to. To use a colloquial phrase, the buck doesn’t stop with you.
But when you are an adult, the buck does stop with you an awful lot of the time.
As with most childhood advantages, I don’t think that, in the moment, anyone really properly appreciates this freedom. A few years of responsibility really opens your eyes, though!
The glorious feeling of school being out for the summer. Nothing in aduldhood offers anything comparable.
Also, being in my room and hearing one of my siblings yell “dinner!” up the stairs, at which point I would just go down and eat. Just like that. I really miss the fact that food appeared before me. I appreciate that now a whole lot more than I did then. 🙂
When I was a school teacher, I think my joy at school being out was greater than when I was a student 😉
Oh yes. The magically appearing food is quite a luxury.
I do miss simple easy indoor fun like cartoons, board games, playing with actual toys/dolls, and reading stuff like Nancy Drew books! And outdoor fun like just rolling around in the grass, digging in dirt, throwing a ball, running… other than some arthritis issues, the only reason I can’t or don’t do these things is lack of free time, by which I mean I always have other things I have to do, as an adult. So I guess it boils down to the same thing you said, Kristen. I guess I also miss the feeling of so many things being new, fresh, novel, hopeful, limitless. Parts of my spiritual life include looking at myself and my life, thinking about things like this, finding meaning in what I do, and finding ways and time to do simple joyful things and feel joyful, hopeful, serene, and connected. What a cool topic. I’d like to hear more of your thoughts on this.
I don’t miss much about being a kid (most of my childhood was spent being bullied and stuff like that) but I do miss having the free time and ironically, the limited choices, so that I felt like I could experience most of the things that were available to me.
I am so sorry to hear that. <3 Kids can be so cruel.