Did You Grow Up Too Fast?

I was seated across from two young people today, and they were discussing whether or not they had missed out on childhood. The young man, age 21, said, "I feel like childhood just slipped away from me. I just grew up too fast, I think." The young woman, a high school senior, said, "Oh no, I was a late bloomer. I was still playing outside with the kids even in my sophomore year."

As they were both recollecting their childhood years, the young woman's face took on a happy expression, while the young man's face was rigid as if he missed out on something.

I know these two people very well. Where I've always viewed the young man as older than he really was, he was often sullen and would "go off" if things weren't right. The young woman was a carefree sort of person and laughed frequently and often. Both come from the same geographical location and, in fact, grew up together.

I wonder where the rest of their lives will lead? Will the young man who grew up too fast ever be happy and carefree and will the young woman who refused to grow up ever be management material?

I know there are some instances when child abuse comes into play which makes the person wiser beyond their years (putting it lightly), but this wasn't the case with the young man. He grew up in a normal family and had no issues that I knew of.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that our childhood plays a significant role in how we turn out as adults. I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new, but have you thought about whether you grew up too fast or whether you never grew up?

When I was living in California as a child, I was allowed to go where I wanted, do what I wanted, and didn't have many restrictions. Carefree as a lark. But, then, it seemed that I grew up way too fast and by the time I was ten, and moved from the bustling city of Burbank to a rural area on the coast of Virginia, it seemed I didn't want my childhood to end. Instead of putting on make-up and hunting down that cute boy in english class, I couldn't wait to get home so that I could run back outside and play with the neighborhood children. I was still playing with Barbies into my teens and building forts in the woods and concocting weird spy games with the kids on the block. It was like I was making up for lost time and wanted to still be a child. It was way more fun for me than trying to be an adult before my time.

Of course, you never told your peers what you did after school. They'd laugh and taunt you of course. So, it was your own little secret. I just never wanted to grow up.

Years down the road, I'm still that child that never wanted to grow up. I still can't resist that urge to jump in an empty swing and feel that rush as I swung as high as I can go. I still can't resist the smell of a brand new doll baby just out of its box. And I still can't resist acting silly when I should act "my own age."

Sure, it has its repercussions. No one takes you seriously and think you're "out there," but is this such a bad thing? Do we really want to grow up?

How about you? Did you grow up too fast or did you languish in the beautiful world of childhood far longer than your peers?