Children these days are just growing up way to fast. Sometimes, it's not their choice, but sometimes it is. Don't be afraid to stop and smell the flowers, it's okay. Slow down and enjoy being a kid, being a teenager. Because once you're in college and on the way to getting that shiny degree, that's when you decide you want nothing more than to go back, go back to being a child when things were much simpler. No bills to pay, no work to go to, no taxes...to when all there was to worry about was which cartoon to watch or which toy to play with.

Having a younger brother who's 11 (and three quarters, mind you *eye roll*), it's interesting yet unsettling hearing and seeing what all he is going through each year. From watching video game playthroughs on YouTube to tweeting to relationship issues to being an Instagram-king and posting selfies randomly throughout the day, it certainly is a different childhood than what I experienced. When I was 11, I was more concerned with going hunting with my daddy or playing basketball in the yard or going skating or sitting outside and reading a book. I wasn't concerned with pop culture or relationships or alcohol or drugs or worldly issues or anything of the such...especially not technology...playing Crash Bandicoot on the old Playstation or Pokemon Yellow on my GameBoy doesn't count. Heck, at 11, I didn't even have a cell phone and I don't recall us even having internet access at that time...though if we did, I'm 99% sure it was dial-up. I didn't grow up with Instagram or Twitter or even Facebook (well, not until I was thirteen or fourteen). The point is...

...it's a different world now than it was back then.

Technology is a huge deal now, and will always be as such.

But that doesn't mean you have to grow up so fast just because the world is changing and "growing up," so to speak. You should be looking forward to going to homecoming or prom,getting your license, to buying your first car, to eventually having that lasting relationship, to graduating high school, to going to college, to marriage, to achieving your dreams, to having a family...but, as a child or young teenager, that's not what you should want right now. Not until you're sure that you're ready. Those things are milestones in your life, you shouldn't just breeze past it.

What is often forgotten is the path to making all of that happen, little things that could end up being big things that may get bypassed due to you wanting to grow up: going to that middle school dance, spending time with your family, participating in spelling bees, taking care of virtual pets before you get a puppy or kitten of your own, performing in plays, playing sports, getting involved in extracurricular activities, doing well in high school, studying, making grades and getting the scores needed to get into college (if that's what you desire), getting a job you enjoy and making money, volunteer work, being able to afford what you want without mommy and daddy's help...

I feel that there's a lot people miss out on when they try to fly through life, wanting to get to a stage of life that they feel will make them happier or a stage that's much easier. Well, news flash, life doesn't get easier. If it did, it wouldn't be much of a life then. Or maybe you're wanting to do more "grown up" things because it's what's considered "cool" and the "norm" now... Growing up too fast isn't going to help with that, either.

So before you decide to dress older, wear makeup to appear older, or change who you are in order to feel more at home or "cooler" with the older crowd, think about what all you may be missing; things you may regret when you actually are older. Once your childhood and adolescence is gone, it's gone.

Just look at college students, as toddlers I'm sure we all hated nap time and wanted nothing more to be old enough not to have to take naps anymore, but now we'd give anything to have a class designated for napping. Just stop and smell the flowers, you'll grow up in time. Don't rush it, it'll be here before you know it.

And to those of you who never want to grow up, just remember this quote from Stephen Chbosky's Perks of Being a Wallflower: