What happened?

One minute I’m learning how to ride my bike, the next minute I’m learning how to drive.

I didn’t ask to get older (even though all I wanted when I was younger was to be a “grown up”).

I have to have a job, drive myself everywhere, wake up earlier for school, think about college and take care of myself when I’m sick.

There’s no more nap time, no more kisses on my booboos and if I cry my mother doesn’t come running to me.

What happened?

I grew up. I got older. I became a young adult.

And personally, I’m not sure that being older is all that great. Sure, I have a later curfew, I can drive myself wherever, whenever and I can make my own money, but I miss my childhood.

I miss recess and coloring all day and the simplicity of my life.

No one ever told me how complicated my life would become when I got older… or maybe they did and I chose not to listen.

When I was seven, the only thing I worried about was making sure not to talk to strangers. Now, I worry about all of my school assignments, friend drama and my boyfriend that I’m with 24/7.

When we were little, we didn’t want nap time. We had all the energy in the world.

Now, I’m seizing the slightest nap in order to keep me going all day.

I really wish I would have cherished my childhood more than I did because I’m realizing now that growing up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

And now, as a 16 year-old, I’m going to try and cherish my teenage life with all its ups and downs because there will come a day when I’m 30 years old with kids to feed and bills to pay and I will look back on my high school years and say, “What happened?”