You know what I really love? Being a grown up.

It really surprises me how many people my age complain so fiercely about being adults. They would love nothing more than to go back in time and relive their childhoods over and over again – staying in the protective bubble of time for all eternity. 

Like everyone, there are times when I suffer from nostalgia; when I long for the ‘good old days’ of my ‘youth’. It’s a natural human instinct and it’s not something I expect to disappear anytime soon.

But I’m also acutely that the notion is a lie. It’s easy to glamorize the memories. We pick our favorites and make them bolder. We dismiss times of trial by using distance to give us a new perspective.

The truth is; being a kid is just as magical and fulfilling as being an adult. It’s also just as hard.

Yes things are different. Yes there is loss in the transformation. But there is also so much gain.

Being a kid isn’t easy. You’re subject to those around you in a way that makes you completely vulnerable, there’s no control over your life, and you lack the mental ability to understand and adsorb the world around you.

There were times in my childhood where I felt like the freest creature on the planet. Then there were other times when I felt like a total hostage to my surroundings. These aren't isolated feelings and there isn’t a time when you get to escape them.

No matter what your age there are certain perks and drawbacks. We think of adulthood as containing so much responsibility, limitation, and pressure. But that’s not necessarily true.

Sure you might have a mortgage, a job, responsibilities…

But you also have the ability to paint your walls with splatter paint, have a job that leaves you feeling fulfilled and inspired, stay up all night making movies and eating ice-cream. Those are ‘adult perks’. Those are the things you get to do as a grown up that you could never imagine doing as a kid (Unless you had wickedly irresponsible parents, to which I say: CONGRATS!!).

And those are just all the practical differences between childhood and adulthood. I haven't even begun to talk about the mental changes that come from the transformation.

When you're a child there's a quiet innocence to life. You naturally assume the best of people. You want to be and give love. But when bad things happen, children can't protect themselves the way adults can.

You're brain actually grows and shifts you into a new being. One that can think, reflect, and see the world in a healthier perspective - simply because they have the choice to do these things.

I feel so lucky and privileged to have the opportunity to mature. To be allowed to sit at the grown up table and feel like I finally belong there - it isn't something I take it for granted AT ALL. It's something that I appreciate very very much.