Tonight I watched Wreck-It Ralph and I didn't think it was going to be that great and then it was amazing. It had so many themes like using the things that make you unique to help others and being content with yourself and forgiveness and compassion and also it was hilarious. I definitely recommend if you haven't seen it.
And then I started thinking about other awesome children's movies. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, How to Train Your Dragon, The Lorax, anything Veggietales...the list goes on for a while. And then I realized that I love children's movies better than I love grown-up movies. Kid movies are chock-full of life lessons, humor that seriously never gets old and is funny for everyone, and even educational tidbits! What could be better?
I'm going to be honest: most grown-up movies are dumb. I mean, they're hilarious and fun and scary and whatever you want them to be really, but the messages they convey aren't nearly as wonderful as those of kid movies. In kid movies, you're encouraged and empowered in the end. (Think about the feelings spinning around in your heart at the end of Finding Nemo. So much happiness and hope. Just thinking about it right now makes me feel like I can conquer anything.) Although I like chick-flicks, at the end of them I'm either rolling my eyes because they were so heavily cheesy or I'm feeling discouraged because my life isn't one. Action movies just make me want to go break stuff (clarification: I break stuff all the time on accident. Action movies make me want to break stuff on purpose like a ninja and simultaneously save the country). There are definitely exceptions (Les Mis, duh), but kid movies are just awesome. End of story.
And then I realized that the reason I'm picking on grown-up stuff so much is just because I wish I was still a kid. I've legally been an adult for a little less than a year now, and some scary stuff has happened. Lots of scary heavy stuff.
When I was little, my parents were having a party and they put me in my room with some games and toys and a brownie and told me that if I came out, I would get a spanking. So I played and did whatever for a while, and then I came out and said, "I'm ready for my spanking now." I thought that if I got a spanking, I would get to hang out and play with all the grown-ups, which wasn't true. I got a spanking and I got sent back to my room. It wasn't my best night.
But the point is: I'm ready to be a little kid again, with whatever consequences it may bring.
When you're little, playing is your job. Seriously. You need to play to successfully develop physically and mentally and socially and whatever other areas there are, and so that's what you do all day. And it's fun. Getting dirty is fun and you don't have to take a shower every day and getting to drink Coke is a big special treat.
I mean I'm not saying there are no problems, because there are. There are splinters, and let me tell you that splinters are the worst. There are also thunder storms, and those can get really scary. I'm not joking. They are really frightening, especially when you have a large imagination. And then there are problems like chores that prevent you from playing.
But when you're little you can wear pigtails and your fashion choices aren't questioned or judged (I can speak as an adult who wears pigtails regularly that not a lot of other adults think it's cute or fun when you wear pigtails). And imagining comes more easily when you're a kid. When I used to have to do un-fun things like Saturday chores, I would do pretend games so it wasn't boring. And as I've gotten older, it's a lot harder to pretend fun stuff is happening or make up stories while I'm sitting at work for six hours straight with nothing to do.
Growing up is a very discouraging thing. Not that I don't have the most wonderful fun beautiful family in the world or the most awesome caring sweet friends ever, because I do. But when you're a kid, your natural state is happy. And when you're a grown-up, your natural state is tired, which means grumpy most of the time. And grumpy is not an encouraging thing.
One time my dear friend Bekah told me that when you grow up, your emotions become deeper. Like sad is a lot more sad, but also happy is a lot more deeply happy. And I think that's true.
And also, I am not embarrassed to say that this Taylor Swift song has made me cry. Multiple times. Not wanting to grow up is one thing that Taylor and I agree on.
Good things do come with growing up. Like driving. I love driving. Also college, which is pretty cool. And getting to be in charge, which doesn't happen so much when you're little.
But also responsibility and jobs and intense lack of sleep. Just saying.
I guess I'm cool with staying a grown-up. And getting older and learning more (I do love learning) and becoming wiser. But that doesn't mean that I won't go without a fight. And by a fight, I mean continuing to wear my hair in pigtails and swinging and playing hide-and-seek and just embracing child paraphernalia (movies, books, stickers, coloring books/crayons, etc.). Also embracing the child mentality that there is no rush on things, we can make anything fun, and you can be anything you want to when you grow up.
Love,
Lauralicious
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