A few months from now I’ll officially have to say goodbye to you, my childhood.
Farewell to the days of stressing over mobile games like Temple Run, Fruit Ninja, and Angry Birds. Even playing Wii games like Wii Sports and Mario Kart, with friends. The days of watching Arthur, iCarly, and Drake & Josh have seized. The fun times I had with classmates and childhood friends–the laughs, the tears, the bruises–are only just a memory.
Life was so easy back then, there were no real worries. Guys only had crushes on girls based on how fast you could run. Girls wanted to be friends with other girls based on how nice they were. Guys and girls could be friends without others questioning their motives. No one cared about the clothes you wore or the way your body looked. We had the purest hearts, asking the most innocent questions with the purest intentions.
Unfortunately, ten-year-old me always wanted to grow up. I can’t wait till I’m older, mommy! I wouldn’t have to follow all these rules. Funny enough, I miss all the rules. The bedtimes, the curfews, the mandatory chores. But I wasn’t the only one who wanted to grow up, my friends did as well. We would envision how life would be for us 10 years into the future. We thought life would be a cruise–sleeping in all day, eating all the candy in the world, being your own boss. No one would have to tell us what to do anymore!
As I reminiscence on the past, something clicks. Remember Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots? I never knew the meaning behind the lyrics, “Wish we could turn back time to the good old days, when our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.” But now I know what they meant; the good times of 2008 – 2016 are gone and we can never get it back.
I wish I had enjoyed you while you lasted. But thank you for giving me memories that will last forever. Goodbye.