When I was in kindergarten, I had it made. We all did. Life was simple: go to school, goof around with friends, drink milk, draw a picture, read a book, take a nap, punch the boys and giggle, go home, eat cheese and crackers and watch Nickelodeon.
It's a stage of life we're all expected to outgrow. When I was in high school, I wanted to. I couldn't wait to grow up, get a job and go to work every day, because I thought I was way too mature for that high school crap. But somewhere between then and my last semester of college, I've noticed an unmistakable regression in my personality. I've found that I'm back to doing all the same silly things I did when I was 5 years old. I still giggle and whine and sit in front of the TV and watch cartoons. I still live for naps and punch boys when I have a crush on them. The only difference now is that I'm writing two papers, stressing about work and trying to balance my checkbook all at the same time. (Well, that,
and I've gone global with my snacking preferences - my sophisticated tastes lead me in the direction of chips and salsa). My heart is still in kindergarten while my head is forcing me to grow up and face the real world.
Simple activities challenge me because I have the mentality of a child. Like when I go downtown: Do I want to have a beer, or do I want an ice cream cone with rainbow sprinkles? Most of the time, I choose ice cream. I've always been a sugar addict. When I was little, I used to dramatically throw myself against the freezer door because I so desperately needed some ice cream. To this day, I need ice cream to survive. I'll throw my hand on my forehead, palm facing out, as if I am short of breath, and melodramatically gasp "ice cream cone." And if I don't get one, you can bet that I'll pout and whine and stomp my feet – because in my bratty, schoolgirl mind, that'll fix it.
When I'm cranky, I can find escape in my
TV. Eighty percent of my daily television consumption is made up of cartoons. Sure I spend the other 20 percent educating myself or watching something not totally mindless, but cartoon time is my time. Most cartoons are only 15 minutes long, so it's a double bonus that rewards my short attention span and my need to be entertained. If I had a dime for every time I got a blank stare and a “you're 21 years old, Meredith,” I'd have at least enough money to buy a whole lot of gummy worms. So what if I have the entire "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" library on DVD? I embrace my ability to escape life by watching talking meatballs. Isn't that what TVs were invented for anyway?
I guess I can thank my parents for this, because they're the same way. My mom, who always let me lick the bowl when she made a cake and kept the house stocked with plenty of chocolate, is responsible for my vicious sweet tooth. My dad is a full-grown man who does bizarre dances in
parking lots for no reason and thinks his poop jokes are the funniest thing since comedy was invented. And I laugh, too. Neither of us can grow up. But who's to say we have to? The public tends to view adults with childlike qualities as creepy (think Michael Jackson), but I want to prove that it's perfectly OK to be young at heart. It's important to maintain a sense of wonder and act childish sometimes, even if only as a simple reminder that life doesn't always have to be as complicated as adulthood makes it. Kids are cool because they act completely on feeling, and while that can get me in trouble, it endears me to people. I may dance around and sing silly songs and giggle uncontrollably sometimes, but I live a responsible adult life and I get things done. Of course, the whole time, I'm secretly dreaming of overdosing on sugar and soda and sleeping off the high. And maybe when I wake up, I'll make myself a big bowl of ice cream and turn on the Cartoon Network.
02.03:05 Jayplay
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