Gina Vaynshteyn
September 25, 2014 8:49 am

When you’re a kid, the world is a giant, scary place, and everything and everyone seem like they’re pretty much out to get you. Whether your foe is a plate of boiled vegetables, getting introduced to a whole new group of people, or the callousness of humanity, childhood was actually quite devastating at times. But we powered through. Sometimes we cried and whined and threw tantrums, but we got through it with the hope that someday, our adult lives would be simpler. When we were kids, we though adults knew everything—that adults had everything under control.

Well now that we’re the adults, we know that’s not entirely true. Vegetables still freak us out. We still get lost. We wonder where our chaperone is until we realize we ARE the chaperone. Here are a bunch of childhood struggles we STILL struggle with today:

1. Wanting to be liked

When I was a little kid, I so desperately wanted everyone to love me! I made sure I brought enough candies to class to share with classmates. I even kept track of how many birthday parties I was invited to and felt sad if that number dipped kinda low. We still have those same tendencies now, don’t we? We still want to be liked by our peers, friends, professors, and coworkers, even if it’s not something we admit to ourselves.

2. Wanting all the new toys

Although the definition of “toy” has possibly changed, the desire for the newest, coolest thing is still prevalent.

3. Getting sucked into a book WAY past your bedtime

No, you may not be reading under your covers with a flashlight, but you’re definitely staying up way too late and comprising any sort of functionality the next day at work. Hello, pot of coffee.

4. Wanting ice cream before dinner

You can still feel your mom’s radiating disappointment as you sink your spoon into the creamy glaciers of Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food when you know you should be grilling up some chicken.

5. Being nervous for the first day of school (or work)

Remember your first day of kindergarten and how badly you just wanted to run home to your parents and never have to deal with such terrible separation anxiety ever again? When I first started school, I remember crying for three school days straight. My teacher had to call my parents to come pick me up early. I was THAT kid. But I sometimes still feel the same way whenever I start a new job or class. Can my parents come pick me up now?

6. Feeling that awful pang of guilt after you get in trouble

I HATE getting in trouble. I’m like a puppy with its tail between its legs whenever someone tells me I did something wrong. My guilt knows no bounds, and I might even secretly cry when nobody is looking.

7. Getting “lost” at Target

So maybe we know exactly where we are at Target (or Costco, or IKEA). But how did we accidentally find ourselves in the makeup aisle? Or in the corner with all the free samples? WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

8. Being kind of scared on an airplane flight by yourself

Well, I am deathly afraid of airplanes so maybe this is just me. The fear definitely intensifies when I have to fly by myself and I have no one to reassure me that the noises I’m hearing are totally normal and that the engines are definitely not about to blow up. At least when you were little, flight attendants gave you wings and you felt that much braver.

9. Going anywhere by yourself seems kinda lonely sometimes

Remember when you finally started doing more things ALL by yourself like a GROWNUP, but this independence actually made you feel really weird and not okay? I still feel that way when I’m grocery shopping or getting my oil changed.

10. Vegetables are still pretty lame sometimes. Let’s just be real.

(And brussels sprouts can still be a struggle if they’re not smothered in bacon fat.)

11. Going to the dentist and worrying she’ll give you crap about not flossing

I have a panic attack a few hours before every single dentist appointment because no matter how much more vigorous I am about flossing, I know I’ll never be good enough.

12. Wearing red lipstick

Applying lipstick was always thrilling, but you most likely ended up looking like a clown. To this day you still worry about getting lipstick on your teeth or smearing it all over your chin when you eat.

13. You still drink too many sweet things

And you just know you’re BEGGING for a cavity.

14. Go-karts still seem a little too dangerous for you

I realize I drive a car now, so go-karting shouldn’t be a big deal, but I still feel like I shouldn’t be given this kind of freedom. Drive around in a circle with a bunch of other people? Too risky.

15. You still want to skip all responsibilities and go to Disneyland

Flipping off that briefcase and jetting to an amusement park is still super tempting.  I mean, let’s be honest with ourselves. Mickey Mouse popsicles and log rides trump work any day. No matter how old you are.

16. Remembering to take your vitamins

Personally I only buy the gummy ones that taste like chewy sugar because I know I won’t take vitamins in any other form.

17. Wearing high-heels is still a struggle

When we were little, we stumbled and staggered and fell when we tried to look glamorous in our moms’ heels. I relive these moments every single time I try to pull off heels.

18. Wondering if mom and dad are actually right

LE SIGH. They probably are.
