The Peter Pan Complex

So I have this theory that when we reach a certain age we all develop the Peter Pan complex. Growing up is hard to do, it takes a lot of work if you think about it. When you're young there's no responsibility, no worries, just fun and games, and the entire world at your feet. At least that's how it feels at the time. At this age, when we're either already in our twenties, or just about to be, we know better. Life is tough, people can be mean, and nothing is free. It's just the way the world works. And isn't it ironic? Around the time we turn 10 all we want to do is grow up, become adults and start our lives in the real world. But once we're there, and we begin to become overwhelmed with all the drama and work that comes with it, we don't want it anymore. It's then that we begin to wish we had made the most of being children. I've heard it so many times; when we're drowning in essay deadlines or getting over break-ups, don't we all wish we could go back to that time, not so long ago, when we were completely oblivious to these things? I know I do. When I was a kid I was so innocent, naive, and free from judgement and cynicsm. But as I became a teenager the world became darker, and I began to realise that it will not always be such a friendly place.
But I have to admit, growing up is not all bad. The best thing about this age is the independence and the freedom to do what I want when I want. No more curfew, bed-time or rules...well, to a certain extent anyway.
But going back to Peter Pan, the boy who's famous for never growing up. It's all well and good to be like that if you live somewhere like Never-Never Land! It's the perfect place for a kid; mermaids, pirates, indians and fairies - what more could you want. But, what about in the real world? You can't just fly away when someone tries to hurt you, and you can't stay young forever. In our world, if you don't move forward with everyone else, the world will leave you behind.
I have to admit, though, being at Uni has, in a way, taken me back to my childhood. Last year, those in Sydney K8 will remember our colouring sessions, playing with bouncy balls, frisbees, rounders, board games and SO many card games...it was just like being back at school! The perfect ways to distract ourselves when we were coping with living away from home for the first time. So, it's good to indulge our inner children, and I think, as people say, it keeps the heart young. Life would be so boring if all we did was get up, go to uni or work, learn what we have to, go home, have dinner and go to bed. That sounds like such a grey world! But I think the fact that NOBODY does JUST this shows that we all have a bit of a Peter Pan complex. None of us really want to grow up and leave our younger selves behind. We all need to have fun; its ingrained in each of us from that very young age that fun and play are good. Even going out once a week to dance to cheesy 80s and 90s music can be seen as a form of indulging the kid inside, especially for someone who was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s! And the fact that on a night out many of us like to go out in fancy dress - well, could that have anything to do with playing dress-up as a kid?!
I guess, though, at my age, having only just turned 21 last week, I'm getting slightly ahead of myself. At times I still feel like a big kid with the whole world at my feet. And, thinking about it, those of us who are now in our twenties are only just out of our teens. My only hope is that when I'm 70 I will still feel young inside and be able to appreciate the memories of my youth. Here's hoping that the grown-up world I'm now becoming a part of won't have made me too much of a cynic by then!