What You Learn From Growing Up Too Fast

By Ashlyn Thomson

Sometimes you’re born with a purpose to fit into a plan and sometimes you’re a drunken accident that turns into something so beautiful it creates life.

So depending on your situation, your parents could have had a plan for you, but if not that’s okay too because I’m also one of the accidents.

Although some people refer to the word “bastard” instead, despite the “accident,” I had a plan set out for me and loving parents too. What else could I ask for?

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I was raised properly and can honestly say my life wasn’t that hard, although it was very different from a lot of other childhoods.

I was born in 1999 and have one older sister and a younger brother, but our parents weren’t together. There isn’t anything wrong with having divorced parents, it just seems to make you more independent.

I can remember times when my older sister had to look out for us young kids because my dad was working and it was his week to have us. I remember being stuck in the middle of a fight because neither of them asked for this.

I remember years of counseling and multiple step-families. From all of it, I mostly remember growing up — growing up way too fast.

You see, growing up is something everyone does but it takes a toll on your life depending on how you were raised. For me, I hung around adults my entire life and so I had a problem with fitting in at school.

I always tried to be like everyone else; I wanted to be normal but it never worked. I always dated older guys because I thought the ones my age needed to grow up before it could ever work out. As for friends, I played along with the ones my age until I realized we had nothing in common.

Then I started to become friends with the older generations so I would have something important and real to discuss.

This played out through my entire life and continues to be an issue as my desire to travel and live life increases.

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I’m a traveler, one who has to sneak her way into bars because she really isn’t old enough to get in. One who uses prepaid Visas to get hotel rooms. One who moves across the country to get some space.

One who finishes high school early just so she can start the next chapter of her life. One who has grown into a strong, independent woman, even if she shouldn’t be yet.

My issue is that I see the world differently, but am surrounded by people who don’t see it as the beautiful earth it is, the people who see it as a place that means nothing. The people who would rather get wasted than be able to wake up and watch the sunrise.

Except I’m so young and am told that’s what I should be doing. It scares people, me being so young and still being so independent, so free, so ambitious, people get scared — really scared. Especially the ones who really don’t know me nor understand what I think life really is about.

But what these people have to understand is that I’ve lived, done and seen more than some people will ever see or do in their entire lifetime. I enjoy meaningful conversation... as a seventeen-year-old.

I enjoy watching the sunset as a seventeen-year-old, I enjoy traveling on my own as a seventeen-year-old. I completely love life as a seventeen-year-old. I enjoy every aspect of it and, yes, I have the bad days where I wish to be someone else, but I’m happy I grew up way too fast.

I’m happy I’ve experienced life so young; now I can learn from my mistakes and those around me who have made mistakes to make better choices that affect my outcome of everyday life.

At seventeen, you can’t sign for your own phone plan and good luck signing off on a car payment; you can’t get into bars and you’re not even considered an adult, but those things are minor and you can find ways around them.

Growing up too fast isn’t always a bad thing. I know at the time it will seem like it because you’re stuck and have no idea what to do next, but take advantage of being so young.

Start being able to live your life while you’re still young, and don’t hold back because you’re not hitting the age requirements. take it from me when I say life is fun at any age — you just have to make it!

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Ashlyn Thomson is a writer and musician who writes primarily about relationships and self-improvement topics. Visit her author profile for more.

This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.