Do you remember Kindergarten year, your teacher relentlessly trying to get you to take a nap and you insisting, above her urge, that you were not tired? Do you look back now with nostalgia and wish that you could curl up and take a much needed cat nap? Sleep seems harder and harder to come by as you get older; with homework, and sports, and other exacting activities on the agenda, it is a wonder there is any time for it at all. Yet when we were in Kindergarten, we were only looking ahead, wishing for the days to come when we could stay up late and be busy all day.

It seems that children these days want nothing more than to grow out of their childhood. Kids are impatient when it comes to their future. They are blindsided by the fact that the freedom is so far away that they only see the fun things. Instead of dreading the eventual bills they will have to pay, kids focus on the ability to purchase things without needing their parents approval first. The idea of someday being able to drive and vote is much happier than living in the moment for them.

While they do want to grow up, it is societies influence on them that puts the idea of maturity in their heads.Children get caught up in the befuddlement of the accelerated society we live in. Society is adding more and more pressure on kids to be better. Children grow up believing that in order to be “something” in this world they need to be successful, and to be successful, they need to be perfect. This means attending a rigourous university with high rankings and earn a 4.0 GPA. Not only has society stepped up the prospect of college though, high school too has increased it's standards. Teenagers are now expected to take college level classes in high school in order to flourish later on in their lives. When these thoughts of advancing prematurely are being forced upon them, how are kids not supposed to want to grow up? When everything in their life has become a race to the finish, why is life not the same? Why should they wait to grow up?

What children in this century fail to see is that they are wishing their lives away. By spending their whole childhood dreaming of being older, their lives are flying by and they are missing out on the simple joys of being a kid. Santa Claus will not be around forever. They won't realize how magical it is waking up every Christmas to find a mug of hot chocolate and gifts under the tree waiting for them, until it is gone. The Easter Egg hunts will stop and the Tooth Fairy will cease to exist. All the fairytales will end and if kids don't appreciate what they have while they have it, then they are going to regret it when it is gone.

Once college comes, everything will change and the decisions made will affect the rest of your life. You will no longer be an adolecent and the responsibilities will hit you in the face like a brick. It's terrifying accepting the responsibility of yourself. After your parents always being there to look after you, facing the obligations of managing your life on your own will be difficult. Life won't be a fun adventure anymore, it will be a disappointing end to your fantasy of maturity.

Hold onto the memories that make up your childhood and never live in the future. Let your life come as a surprise and don't plan everything out. The fun is in the revelation, so let yourself be surprised. Enjoy it while it lasts so you can look back with fond memories. Remember to be a child and live your childhood as a time where life isn't too complicated. Be happy with your life and yourself. Get plenty of sleep while you are still able and don’t grow up too fast...