Appreciate each stage of life
Katie Gomez
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Editorial
When we're kids, we spend our childhood wishing we could be older. We look up to our older siblings and we dress like them, talk like them and especially act like them. Whatever they do, we do too because that's what's "cool" when you're older. When we have younger siblings, we try to act more grown up so our parents will let us help take care of them. Although we spend most of our time playing, we're always trying to be a "big kid."
A few birthdays pass and suddenly we're adolescents in middle school, caught between our playful youth and our need to act mature. We trade in our silly toys for skateboards and cute boys. Girls start wearing pounds of makeup in hopes to look older, maybe even pass as a high schooler. Guys start acting out, trying to be tough. No longer is it cool to kiss your mom goodbye when she drops you off in case one of your friends sees you. We are often heard saying, "I can't wait to be 16 and in high school so I can drive and do whatever I want."
Just a couple of years and that wish is granted. We make it to high school and now we're in, we're cool. Now that we're teenagers, we can stay out late, hang out with friends, and date whoever we want. Bring on the pep rallies, the Friday night football games, the parties and the hot girls. For some of us, that even means more responsibility and less parental guidance. We're old enough. What do we need our parents for when we can do it ourselves? By this point, our parents are just the "old people" of the house who pay our bills and make us do chores. We can't wait to graduate, get out of the house and go to college.
Congratulations. Graduation comes and goes and suddenly it's time for Freshmen Orientation. We move into the dorms with 100 other young adults, eager to be on their own without mom and dad around to make rules. This is college. There are no rules. Yeah, we have a few classes plopped in between eating and napping, but nobody is going to call our parents if we don't show up. We ultimately have the freedom to do whatever we want. While some of us are afraid to inch closer to the edge of the cliff known as college graduation, many of us can't wait to finally be done with school. We just want to get out, get a good job, get married and live in our own house.
A few birthdays pass and suddenly we're adolescents in middle school, caught between our playful youth and our need to act mature. We trade in our silly toys for skateboards and cute boys. Girls start wearing pounds of makeup in hopes to look older, maybe even pass as a high schooler. Guys start acting out, trying to be tough. No longer is it cool to kiss your mom goodbye when she drops you off in case one of your friends sees you. We are often heard saying, "I can't wait to be 16 and in high school so I can drive and do whatever I want."
Just a couple of years and that wish is granted. We make it to high school and now we're in, we're cool. Now that we're teenagers, we can stay out late, hang out with friends, and date whoever we want. Bring on the pep rallies, the Friday night football games, the parties and the hot girls. For some of us, that even means more responsibility and less parental guidance. We're old enough. What do we need our parents for when we can do it ourselves? By this point, our parents are just the "old people" of the house who pay our bills and make us do chores. We can't wait to graduate, get out of the house and go to college.
Congratulations. Graduation comes and goes and suddenly it's time for Freshmen Orientation. We move into the dorms with 100 other young adults, eager to be on their own without mom and dad around to make rules. This is college. There are no rules. Yeah, we have a few classes plopped in between eating and napping, but nobody is going to call our parents if we don't show up. We ultimately have the freedom to do whatever we want. While some of us are afraid to inch closer to the edge of the cliff known as college graduation, many of us can't wait to finally be done with school. We just want to get out, get a good job, get married and live in our own house.
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