This summer has been making me wonder what my life will be like in the future. It's different for me this summer because I have so much more responsibility than I ever have before. If I'm being completely honest, I am struggling with balancing my inner child and my adult responsibilities.

"Adulting" is what many people call having the responsibilities as a young person that are brought on by getting older. Some examples of adulting include going to the bank, working, filing taxes and making your own doctor's appointments. My summer seems to be filled with much more adulting than having fun, which makes this summer completely different from all of my previous ones.

I am looking forward to going back to school because that means less responsibility for me in terms of working two jobs, taking an online class, writing for Odyssey and trying to have fun. I just need to focus on my school work and being a student when I go back in August. I will have to do some occasional adulting, but not as much as this summer.

Sometimes, adulting can actually be fun, but during the summer, and when I have to do it all the time, it's rather difficult. I don't know how real grown-ups do it every single day. Through my experience working and being more self-sufficient this summer, I realized that I am not quite as grown up as I want to seem. I still want to go to the pool and play outside during the summer. I'm still a kid at heart.

Do adults still want to have fun like a child, or do these desires to play just disappear with age? For me, I am happy to be able to support myself and work to pay for my college education, but still, sometimes, I just want to act like a kid again.

I always want to be a kid at heart, and someday, when I have children of my own, I know that it will benefit me to have a child-like spirit. But for now, I need to remember my goals and why I am doing what I am doing with my summer. It's all for my education and self-improvement. Working hard now means I will be able to provide for my future family later by holding my dream job. My goal in life is to be happy, and this summer is teaching me that I must prioritize my responsibilities in order to gain the happiness I want in the future.

So, with that in mind, I am going to work hard and stay positive about my summer. Just because right now isn't the most fun time of my life and some of the hard work I need to do for my future success is dull doesn't mean that I need to entirely resent my summer. I can't do exactly what I want this summer, but I am willing to compromise a summer or two of childish fun in order to make my dreams for the future come true. I'm going to work hard this summer at my job but also, enjoy some of my free time doing the fun summer activities I loved as a kid. There will always be time in my summer schedule to eat a popsicle!

Just because I'm growing up doesn't mean that I can't have fun. It just means I have to prioritize my responsibilities before I have the fun. I think I can manage that and still have a great summer!