What are your thoughts and feelings about growing up

When we transform from a child to an adult, many things change including our thoughts and feelings about growing up. When I was young, I always thought that growing up was a ‘cool’ and ‘fun’ process. I was always looking forward to adulthood, when I can finally make my own decisions just like everyone else. However as teenage years started, I realize that growing up is not what I thought it was anymore. As we grow, many things start to change too regardless of studies, emotions or dreams.

The greatest change of all is definitely studies and stress level. When we were in kindergarten, going to school was just like a definition of ‘fun’. I remember I never wanted to miss school even though I was sick. Back then we were all so carefree. However as we were enrolled into primary school and then secondary school, going to school is not as enjoyable as it used to be. We started off with 4 subjects and then slowly increasing to 8 subjects. There is so much to learn in a short period of time. Also, I usually have to stay up till late night to complete my assignments that is due on the next day. Tests and examinations are no exceptions. As the examination dates inch closer, my stress level builds up, as I do not want to lose to others in this race of education. If I knew as a child these are what I am going to face in the future, I would definitely not want to grow up.

As we grow up, we also start to face different emotions. When I was a child, clothing and appearance were never a problem. I could dress up as a princess and walk down Orchard Road without worrying about getting judged by the public. However as I grow, insecurities and fear of getting negative comments by others start to set in. Having to walk down the streets without failing to think about what others might think about you is definitely a pain. Another example would be love. Love for the opposite gender is a new emotion you will feel as you grow up. This is especially common in secondary schools. Experiencing love is also part and parcel of growing up. Even our level of happiness changes as we transform from a child to a teenager and then to an adult. We are constantly facing new challenges each day and sometimes it might tire us. We soon, too, expect more to get happiness. Many events affect our emotion such as stress and fear. Growing up allows you to discover these new emotions and to me, it is just like surprises.

Last but not least, our dreams. We are often asked what we want to be in the future and what are our answers? “I want to be an astronaut!” “I want to be a princess!” “ I want to be a superman, so I can save people from evil beings!” but as we grow, these dreams get eliminated one by one. We are then forced to make more realistic dreams and goals. Our freedom of being who we want to be becomes merely impossible as we grow. For me, my dream is to become a song composer but often, many people tell me that it is almost impossible to earn a living as a composer. However, shouldn’t we be allowed to have the freedom to dream about who we want to be even when we grow up?

Growing up may be scary and difficult sometimes but it also brings us surprises. It is only once in a lifetime, so why not enjoy this process of growing up?

Chong Jiachyi, Sec 3