Jump to content
NEurope
Charlie

Is growing up as you expected it to be?

Recommended Posts

As a teacher (i hope i've got that right), what's the biggest difference/change that you've see between growing up now and say 10/15 years ago (or whenever you grew up)?

 

That's a great guess. I'm impressed. :D

 

I honestly don't think I could say without their being a hint of bias there. When you're in your teenage years, I guess you are more than a little self-centered and you don't see the wider picture. To me, being a teenager was all about my friends, family, videogaming, football and discovering the opposite sex.

 

When I was growing up, the internet was just becoming this big thing, whereas now it's everywhere. There's facebook, twitter, youtube, instagram and everything that comes with it. People have a better way of connecting now than they did when I was a teenager, but it's also a platform for showing off or even bullying. It's definitely been the biggest change because the internet influences life at every possible level. From checking our your friend's profile, to watching a video in Geography to listening to music between lessons to online gaming at home. That's probably been the biggest change, I think.

 

In terms of pressures, I still can't work out whether it's a constant generational thing and if it's something that is always done to the next lot. "Back in my day, it was much harder!" Maybe it's always been this way.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I thought being a grown-up would be easier, and not take as long. I also had no idea how quickly time can fucking pass. How weeks become fairly insignificant periods of time and months fly by.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I thought I'd be happier.

 

I'm far happier than I was 10 years ago during my teenage years. But I kept in my head that I was doing all of that to get a job I loved and buy a house.

 

Obviously that's not happened, getting a house is so hard and finding a job you love that pays well is even harder!

 

There are things I do love about being an adult which I expected, the constant money flow, the freedom to do way more than I had as a kid. Do I want pizza? Heck yeah I do. Want to have the day in bed. Sure why not. Except when its work time. Get up!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Guess i didn't imagine it'd be so tiring. On work nights i feel mentally/physically exhausted, and like all my energy i had for the day has gone towards my employer, not me. Then on my days off i'm just kind of in a dazed recovery... then another week starts all over again.

 

Can't believe i used to spend whole days playing SNES. Seem like a different lifetime.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I guess the main thing I didn't expect was what "becoming an adult" means. I mean, we're raised to believe there's this path in front of you, and walking it is as easy as walking towards the end of high school, but the truth is, there is no path after you turn 18, only stuff you choose to do. This was the hardest thing to accept, but once I realised it, I became much happier, even when stuff didn't go exactly as I wanted.

 

Funnily enough, I get more tired if I'm not busy. I used to yearn for days without obligations, but now I go crazy if I don't have any! For example, I actually play less videogames if I don't have a schedule of sorts.

 

Another good thing about growing up is how much freedom you gain. Not just freedom to do what you want and make your own mistakes, but freedom to reject the toxic elements of your life that you had as a younger person (even if you can't reject them easily, it's liberating to know for certain that there's a chance to do it).

 

Overall, I am enjoying my adulthood, and I can definitely get behind Graza when he says it's all in the mindset.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

×