Childhood

I am slowly realizing that my childhood is probably over... I am turning twenty years old in about a half a year. But then how come I in many instances don't feel like an adult?

I think that one of the reasons why is because of American culture, where you are kept a child all the way through college with drinking age rules and RAs monitoring you in a dorm hall where maybe even another hundred students like yourself just want to drink because it's fun to go against the law. This is instead of having your own apartment, with no parents or RAs to watch over you, doing your own laundry, maybe even having a job AND going to school. You can do all these things while still being in university or college. I know this because all my friends in Denmark do it. And I find them more mature than most Americans my own age. To add to that I also have noticed that many people have kids way later in the US than in Denmark. My grandparents were both forty nine when I was born and both my parents twenty six. I feel like mid twenties is a good age to have the first child in. You have had your teenage twenties and now you are still young enough and have the strength to take care of a child for all the time it needs it and still have a good long life to go after you have taken care of your children. Say you have done that from your twenty five until your kid is twenty five, then you still have half of your life to go (given the assumption you life until you're a hundred years old). That's a long time to not be young, and childish, so I think it might be important to bring some joys of childhood with you into your age. Whether that be doing the things you used to do as a kid with your kids or grandchildren, or doing watercolors, or playing with the dog in the yard, I think we all need to do something to ensure the happiness we all want in old age.

I think I'm not scared to be old, of course I might initially have some trouble accepting I have less physical strength etc but I think I'm excited to spend the rest of my life with the person I love. I know that weird to say in my age but I really am. And I'm excited to teach my kids and grandkids the things I was taught by my grandparent and parents.

I still sometimes feel like that little blond curly hair girl that just wanted a hammer, a saw and a piece of wood and then she was set for the day. I feel like the little girl that had no shame in swimming in a dirty Swedish lake naked because the bathing suit was itchy. And once in a while I feel creative like that little girl too...

Caroline