MIDDLE SCHOOL READING: I Want To Be Older Now

middle school readingMIDDLE SCHOOL READING: I Want To Be Older Now

A common trait in middle school reading and being a middle school student is the burning desire to be older, NOW.

This is why you guys read books with characters who are older than you are.  Sad to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s no getting around this one.  Every day is filled with 24 hours and every week is 7 days.

Trust me, I know what I’m talking about because I’m still a kid myself.  If you read Saltwater Taffy, you know that main character is me!  And when I was twelve years old, I wanted a later bedtime.  Who wouldn’t?  I mean, when you this age, you want to have more time doing what you want to do, not what your parents or teachers want you to do, right?  I hear ya, but the thing about your desire to be older is that it develops a bad habit in the future.   That bad habit is never really enjoying the moment you are in because…

you are busy wanting tomorrow to arrive TODAY. This makes you miss out on RIGHT NOW.  TODAY.  Check this out.  You will NEVER be a “TWEEN” again and I’m here to tell you that growing up isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.   When you get older, your responsibilities pile up and your time to “do what I want to do” is cut down DRAMATICALLY.   Here is the reality about getting older.

With each passing grade comes more school work.   More schoolwork means more homework.   More homework means the subjects you are taking are getting harder too.  Do you really want to grow up that fast?

My advice to you is to enjoy this moment right now of being a Tween.  Yes, it can be an awkward age because so many things about you are changing; your body, your emotions, your friends, pretty much EVERYTHING, but you will never be this age again.  Trust me when I say this: “You will MISS the RIGHT NOW of your life if you don’t enjoy it while it’s happening.”

Your relationship with your parents is going to change, which isn’t a bad thing, but it WILL be different as you get older.  You will be different.  They will be different.   No matter how old you are, you are always “growing up,” but wishing it away causes you to miss out on how cool it is to be your age.  Growing up never stops.   I’m 45 years old and I’m STILL growing up inside the pages of my books.

When you become a teenager, all you will want to do is hang out with your friends.   You won’t be as excited about “family night” or “family activities” as much as you do right now.   This is why you must ENJOY the RIGHT NOW of your life and being the age you are.  When you do this, you can look back on these years and smile.   You can look back and smile because you had a great time.

People who rush to grow up will sooner or later want to return to those years they rushed through, but they can’t.  It is impossible.   When I was in college, I had many friends who wanted to leave school and “GET A JOB.” When they got out of school and got that job, guess what happened?  All they wanted to do was come back to school when their schedule was less demanding and life was “fun.”

YOU CANNOT GO BACK.  You cannot re-live what it is like to be 13 years old, or however old you are when you read this post.  What you can do is enjoy every part of the process of GROWING UP.  You don’t have a choice.  If you simply rush through your life (being impatient) you are going to regret it.  TRUST ME, I know.  Living with regret is no way to live, NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE, so live it up right now.  Being your age is not that bad.  You’ll be older soon enough.  Take the advice of Scott from the Saltwater Taffy story and enjoy every minute of being you.

Eric DelaBarre is an award winning filmmaker and the author of Saltwater Taffy. Copyright September 30, 2010 All Rights Reserved.

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