Throughout our lives, we will never forget our most precious childhood memories. We won’t forget the long comforting nap times, the never-ending games of tag and rock paper scissors, our outrageous schemes and pranks, and of course our first kindergarten crushes. Those were the days when the worse thing that could happen to you was being “it” in tag and the only thing that could hurt you were skinned elbows. Life was carefree and the only things we had to worry about were time-outs and losing our crayons. We were young and didn’t need to worry.
What I remember most about my childhood was me wanting to grow up and be able to do whatever I wanted to do. Through our eyes we thought we knew everything there was to know. Our childish minds were consisted of “I’m not a little kid, I’m a big kid!” and “I wish I can do that.” We took our youth for granted and just wanted to grow up. So much people would give up so much to be young again and be free. We never really understood of what the real world was until we finally grew up ourselves.
The world through a kid’s eye is full of adventure and mystery. We didn’t know what lied ahead and expected the future to be nothing but excitement and fun. The world through our eyes now, on the other hand, is full of grades, SAT’s, college, and etc. We don’t have much free time as we use to when we were five. Most of us would give anything just to be young again and experience the wind on their face as we run through the field playing tag and to sit with our legs crossed on the ground listening to the teacher read a Dr. Seuss Book.
Now I’m a teenager, much older and wiser than I use to be, yet still have so much to learn. I have two little nieces and a nephew that looks up to me, just like I looked up to my older siblings when I was seven. Through everything I have been through in the past I know I have to set a good example for those younger than me and teach them the importance of living life to its fullest. Like most people say, we’re only young once.
Now all those days of my two year old nephew mimicking my every move and my seven/eight year old nieces following me around all the time finally makes sense. I’m their aunt and they look up to me. Not only do I teach them something, but because of them I’ve learned to become more patient and understanding. One thing my eight year old niece said that I will never forget “I’m a teenager just like you, and you can never change that!”