YOU ARE A GROWN-UP

 

YOU ARE A GROWN-UP…. yeah, right, prove it. 

There are things that, as we “grow ups,” we are supposed to grow out of.  I say, why?

Our mothers were so proud of us when we finally slept through the night.  She didn’t have to interrupt her sleeping to change our diapers or feed us.  This, of course, lasted a few years.  But then we started getting up and going to the bathroom by ourselves.  Perhaps it’s the 8 to 12 glasses of water we should drink daily.  (This is twice the amount of water recommended by any other country.  And some doctors have changed their minds on this.)  I still have to go to Pee in the middle of the night. And who hasn’t snuck downstairs for a midnight snack?

Bath night was dreaded, but a basket full of toys was suctioned to the wall. We would play while rudely being scrubbed from head to toe. Playtime has been replaced by quick showers—efficient, get in, get out, and make sure everything is cleaned in the process. Yes, we don’t stomp our feet and cry because it’s bath night before bedtime. But we forget to rinse the soap off our hair. Did I scrub my back or shave?  Maybe showers should be regulated to after coffee.

Rubber duckies are gone, and the colorful bath soaps used to write on the wall have long since disintegrated. If we are lucky, we might remember the last time we slipped into the tub with a glass of wine, a good book, or maybe some soft music. But really, when did that happen? No one is forcing us, and therefore we don’t.

The hot days of summer—the days of playing in the sand with nothing to worry about but the waves knocking down your sandcastle, and nights of running through the cool breeze with a jar in hand. Oh, the joy of catching fireflies—watching them light up and flicker away. When was the last time any of us truly went on vacation? We felt the wind in our hair and the sand between our toes and just enjoyed the moment for what it was.

Remember Sunday night movies? We curled up on the couch or blankets on the floor. There was popcorn, ice cream, or a special snack, and NO THOUGHTS OF TOMORROW. There was no worrying about tomorrow’s meeting or grocery list, no last-minute laundry or traffic jam dread. There was just the movie, laughs, and the joy of staying up late. Yes, there was a time when staying up late was a privilege, not a necessity.

Every airport, grocery store, and public place has a very upset child. They let their emotions show, crying, screaming, stomping, and flinging themselves on the ground. An adult is there. They talk, yell, and eventually pick up the kid. The child is consoled all the way to the ice cream shop. We silently judge the parents. How could they let the kid be so out of control? What bad parents they are for upsetting the child in the first place or dragging them out of the house.

But secretly, deep down if we were honest with ourselves, we want to be the kid.  We want to get our emotions out.  We want people to know just how much of an asshole they are.  We want to draw attention to the injustice of it all. We want to be heard.  We want to be accepted as we are for who we are.  No faking it, no going along with the norms, no being a certain way for the sake of society.  But most of all, We want someone to pick us up, fix everything, and buy us ice cream.