BY TAMARAH WALLACE
The delightful scent of processed meats and modified vegetables wafts through the air as you park at the drive-thru window of your favorite fast food restaurant. A slightly disheveled, uninterested-looking figure pokes their hand out of the opening and silently signifies that you should pay for your meal. As you shuffle around for change, your head fills with thoughts of the past day and you tell yourself that some enjoyment is definitely due. As you hand the cashier your money, you make a bold request, seeking out “Can I have a toy with that?” to which the worker responds, “Do you have a kid with you?” After you explain that you are completely alone and would pay for the toy separately, he goes on to clarify company policy and deny you the toy.
In a world where a “youthful” description is only complementary if it is referring to your appearance rather than your mindset, the urge to “grow up” is inevitable. When we are young children we are very quick to disregard our childhood and dream of the days when we can eat ice cream for breakfast with no parental repercussions. However, we usually neglect to realize that our childhood is the ultimate source of light in the dark sea of adolescent and adult responsibility.
“As we grow up we mature and learn from our childish mistakes, but everything that has happened in the past helps shape us into who we become later on,” CCHS Junior Danielle Siso said. “It’s important to keep a part of our childhood with us as we grow because without it, adult life would be an even harder transition.”
Bringing back some of the values you had when you were younger- whether it be the innocence of eating a kid’s meal and receiving a toy or the ideals that your parents have instilled, can be extremely beneficial. In fact, negative psychological effects such as anxiety, stress, low self esteem, depression, sleep disorders, and incomplete development of emotions can result from growing up too fast says Dr. Gail Gross PhD, EdD of Let’s Talk.
“Our childhood is all about developing our characters and personality,” CCHS Junior Hannah Riggott said. “As we grow older and reach young adulthood, it’s important to remember what our childhoods were like and the lessons we learned and everything we experienced because in the end, that’s who we truly are.”
It is imperative that we reflect on our childhood in order to propel us into the future and we need to enjoy the rest of it while we still can.
“A lot of us are unfortunately faced with some hard things in our lives,” CCHS Junior Berlin Rodriguez said. “I know for a fact I have had to give up so much of my teenage fun because I’ve had to deal with hard things at home. I think it’s extremely important that we take the opportunities we get to enjoy our youth because for me it’s those moments that count.”
So students of CCHS, I dare you to slow down and appreciate the joys of childhood- while we are still a part of it.
