As a child, there are many things we wished we could do but we either were too small, too short, or just too young. Now that we’re older, we probably take some things for granted. Here are the top ten things we always wanted to do as a child, but are now a part of our daily lives—and possibly a little less magical.
Driving
In every child’s upbringing, there were certain toys that made us feel like grown-ups. Our toy cash registers, kitchen sets, and yes, even those cars that we rode and pushed with our feet, all brought us a little closer to living the life of a “big kid”. Well, now that we’re older, we can play with real money and say buh-bye to the Fred Flinstone style of driving.
Staying up late
Every kid hates having to go to bed early because it’s a school night. But now we get the privilege to stay up as long as we want—or don’t want—even if that means having dark circles under our eyes and waking up to bad hair the next day.
Binge on junk food
Didn’t you hate when your parents used lines like “Eat your vegetables, and then you can have dessert”? Well, by now you’ve probably driven your parents nuts so much that they don’t care what you eat as long as you’re not complaining. So be a rebel and challenge yourself to eat ice cream for one whole day for every meal. No, no, that pain in your stomach is joy!
No curfew
Growing up was difficult, especially during those pre-teen years. We wanted to go out and stay late, but we always had the curfew that made us slightly dorky. But, now you can party the night away… unless your parents are still too strict. If that’s the case, you can always still sneak out the window (if it’s low enough, duh!)
Showering
You might read this title and be a bit confused. But here’s something that we really do take for granted. When we were small, it was a bath instead, and our parents would leave the door open “just in case”, make us share with our siblings, or stay in the bathroom and watch us. Thankfully, we are now able to have some privacy and get cleaned up “all by ourselves”!
Watching anything you want
“PG13”, “18+”, “viewer discretion is advised”—lines that all kids hate. This meant that we couldn’t watch certain (usually the coolest) TV shows and movies. Now we can easily watch whatever our hearts desire, whether it could be bad for us or not! YAY!
Extreme sports
Everyone knows the way a kid’s happy face shrivels up when they hear “Sorry, you have to be this high.” Rollercoasters could be the ultimate excitement, but if you weren’t a certain height then your dreams were crushed. Now in retaliation we have broaden our adventures to even more dangerous sports, like sky-diving, bungee-jumping, and car racing.
Wearing what we want
Don’t you often look at old pictures and think, “What am I wearing?” Well, thanks to your parents, your life featured many such humiliating moments. But be careful, since now that you dress yourself, if and when you screw up you only have yourself to blame. Oops!
Drinking
It’s risky to sit at the dinner table and try to steal sips from your mom’s glass of wine or your dad’s bottle of beer, but every child tries to. If you’re 19 or older, then you can now proudly pick up a two-four for that crazy long weekend party. If you’re a froshie…sorry, but it looks like you’ll be stealing sips from your parents’ drinks again this year.
Freedom of barber/hairdresser
You know you can’t forget the mushroom, the bowl head, the buzz, or any of those other hideous haircuts that we or our parents once thought were cool. And, uh… if you are still rocking these cuts, then my apologies, but dude, the 90s are over. Grow up!
