Adults Are Just Older Kids

 

I have thought this for a long time but it’s become even more clear lately: just because you might be considered an adult and know better, the little kid in you is (probably) alive and well. If this doesn’t describe you in any way, then congratulations, but I feel like, for the majority of people, you will find some truth in the following bullet points.

You are just an older kid if you:

-get grumpy when you don’t get enough sleep.

-are disorganized and can’t find pencils/erasers/books.

-blame other people for problems you 100% created.

-get in a bad mood if you aren’t fed promptly.

-fail to go to the bathroom before leaving the house.

-fail to consider the consequences of your actions.

-have a sugar addiction.

-an inability to say no to things you know/should know are bad for you.

-have a hard time sitting still.

-love Marvel movies

-are arguing with refs or umpires at sporting events.

-can’t/don't listen.

-just want to play.

-call your mom or dad to complain about _______

-can’t read, tie your shoes, or brush your teeth.

-play with LEGO, eat ice cream, and stay up past your bedtime.

-act out for attention

-have trouble sharing

-unable to delay gratification

-easily distracted

-are afraid of the dark

-take afternoon naps

-have trouble spelling without spellcheck

-hate going to the dentist

-have a messy room

-can’t get along with your siblings

-love dressing up for Halloween

 

Is acting like a child always bad? Certainly not. I think we could learn a lot from children. From their curiosity to their sense of awe and wonder, and their love of having fun, we could all embrace our inner child more often. However, being and acting like a child has downsides. If you usually put off doing work until the last minute as an elementary student, it's likely that you are finding yourself in situations today that younger you would have thought you would have grown out of by now.

A questions I like to ask people is, what would be the split of percentage you feel you are and act like an adult to the percentage you feel and relate to being a kid? The other day I heard an adult tell me they felt like they were 80% kid. That seems high. I would say I am 65% adult. Does this question have flaws? Yes, but try and answer it anyway. 

 

Adults dislike going to work just as much (if not more) than kids dislike going to school. Adults stay up later than they should, eat/drink things they know aren’t in their long-term best interests, and lack discipline in many different areas. Have I been spending too much time around kids and seeing many of my own flaws in the students I teach? I would prefer not to answer that question. Has teaching been making me slightly more pessimistic about kids and the adults that parent them? Again, that’s a personal question but I would like to have you evaluate how adult you is similar to kid you. Are you still making the same mistakes? Have you outgrown certain bad habits or ways of thinking? If not, how does that make you feel? I think acting and playing like a kid is something we should all embrace but if we don’t consciously try to evolve and “grow up” by this age, is it ever going to happen?