I saw this idea the other day in Grace’s post, and loved it. I thought I’d incorporate it into this week’s Marvelous in My Monday, hosted as always by the lovely Katie. 🙂

As some of you know, I babysit during my summer breaks, and occasionally on the weekends during the school year. I absolutely love being with those kids all the time for many reasons, but especially because of the things they say. They’re so smart and observational. One of my favorite things to talk with them about is being an adult – how they see it, what they expect from growing up, and the things they think make being an adult better than being a kid.

Anyway, being around them often reminds me of what it was like to be little, and all the good and not so good things that went along with it. That said, there are also good and not so good things that go along with getting older. With that in mind, I put together a  list of things marvelous and not so marvelous about growing up.

As a kid…

Marvelous was…

…believing in Santa, the Easter bunny, the Toothfairy, and all those wonderful things. I mean really, was there anything more exciting than waking up on the morning after you lost a tooth or on Christmas? Childhood innocence definitely lends itself to that excitement. I was so mad when my parents told me those “people” weren’t real. I mean, mad.

Marvelous was…

…being able to eat pancakes or bagels every morning without having to worry about calories. 😉 Every school day morning, I would wake up and have a plain bagel with margarine all over it or a bowl of Lucky Charms, and on the weekends my dad would make us pancakes.

Marvelous was…

…being good at every subject in school. I remember a time when I was even good at math. That was fun.

Marvelous was…

(image source)

…not really having a care in the world. There are so many issues to be blissfully oblivious of when you’re a kid (like money, sickness, poverty, etc.), and that is wonderful. (I do realize this isn’t the reality for all kids, though, and that breaks my heart.)

Not so marvelous was…

…being allergic to dairy. I’ve grown out of my dairy allergy over the years (though I still experience some sensitivity), but that was very difficult when I was younger. My mom was great about making my lunches with “fake” cheese, pizzas with just sauce and pepperoni, or cookies and cakes without dairy (or eggs or nuts) in them. But I do remember one of two things always associated with my allergies when I was younger. The first was always open-mouthed disbelief: “WHAT? You can’t have chocolate?? I don’t know how I’d be able to live! Really, you can’t have it? Not even this bite?” The other thing was people teasing me about it: “Look at what I have! Don’t you wish you could eat this too?” and that sort of thing.

Not so marvelous was…

(image source)

…not being able to watch TV or play computer games when I wanted to. My parents usually allowed us a certain amount of time per day to do those things, and when I did want to do them, I had to ask for permission. I’m not complaining, because I think that’s a good system, but still, it’s nice being able to do things that I want when I want.

Not so marvelous was…

…getting talked down to. I think I’ve always been an older person at heart, and definitely more mature than people my own age (that might sound snobby, but I don’t mean it that way), so I used to hate it when people talked down to me. But I feel like that’s a problem most people face at any age.

As a “grown up”…

Not so marvelous is…

…worrying. I do a lot of it. I think that unfortunately just comes with growing up.

Not so marvelous is…

(image source)

…rent, bills, gas prices, tuition, taxes, etc.

Not so marvelous is…

…having to abide by society’s manners and having to deal with people who don’t. Know what I mean? I would have loved to blast my music super loud at my neighbor’s wall at 5:00 am when I woke up after having to deal with his nasty music until 2:00 am. That would have been fun, but alas, I’m a decent person. 😉

Marvelous is…

…having control over my life. If I want to stay up late, I can. If I want to watch four movies in a row, I can. If I want to have more than one cookie, I can. It’s pretty great. 😉

Marvelous is…

…making my own money. Enough said.

Marvelous is…

(image source)

…watching Disney movies as a 20-something year old. I swear they get better and better the older I get!

Marvelous is…

…being more aware of all of the possibilities in life, and having the ability to make some of those possibilities a reality. In other words, if I want to be a teacher, I can work toward it, and make it happen. If I want to go to grad school, I could make that happen, too.

Marvelous is…

…getting together with friends. In the past year or so I’ve celebrated graduations, weddings, and births with my friends, and I love that.

What do you think is marvelous about childhood or adulthood?

I hope you all have a great Monday!