by Lorelai George

Created on: May 16, 2008

Growing up is something that we all experience throughout life. It's not just physical, but it's emotional, mental and intellectual too.

You start off as a small child, not knowing anything about the world, and the older you become, the more your eyes open and realize what the world is really like. Sometimes, growing up isn't such a good thing after all.

When you're younger, you sit in your room and sulk because your parents have set you boundaries and won't let you out after a certain time, praying for the day when you can leave the confinement of your parents' clutches and become independent, but that's when you really grow up. When you do grow up, that's when you want to go back to being a child. To knowing that someone will always be there to protect you, and feeling safe and warm in your mother's arms. Nothing lasts forever, however.

The problem with growing up is that it only goes one way - you can't grow down. The other problem is that nothing lasts forever. You'll keep on growing until you die. Unless you do the same thing day in, day out. If we didn't, life wouldn't just be boring, it would be a waste of time - why repeat the same old routine over and over? You'd never make any new friends or meet any new people, never get a promotion or a raise, never grow as a person, and that's what we all need.

Growing up is something that we do without realizing it. We don't wake up one day and think, "Today, I'm all grown up!" We may occasionally think this at ages such as 7, 16, 18 and 21, when we start to experience more freedom, but it's more of a gradual process than anything. Certain things in life can however speed up this process.

The death of a loved one, for instance. Peer pressure, family problems, love. They all have an impact, no matter what age. Perhaps younger generations are more prone to things such as peer pressure, but even people in the workplace like to fit in - it can happen at any age. When you can say "No!" to peer pressure, that's when you've really begun to grow up.

Growing up is not something that can be pinpointed or completely defined. What is growing up? Some would say it's becoming a year older, others becoming more physically mature. Others may say that it's when your mind has evolved from what it was. Perhaps it is a combination, or something completely different? Who knows? The only thing that is certain is that it is inevitable, and that it happens to us all.

Learn more about this author, Lorelai George.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.