Roller Coaster

Ahh... The Roller Coaster of life.... Isn't it funny how sometimes we are at a point in our lives when everything is up and going great, then everything comes crashing down. This is what I would call the roller coaster effect. When we are brought into this world as a mere child, we depend solely on our parents, to feed us, protect us, love us, nurture us.... i could go on but you get the picture.... We haven't a worry in the world, basically because we don't even know what that is yet, but parents try so hard to shield children from the hardships of life. And I am thinking this is not the correct approach.... YES, children should not have to worry about anything, but maybe it would be okay to let kids know that things aren't always okay. Its okay to see a parent have a bad day. Its okay to see them cry. Children should know that life isn't easy and they need to know that being a kid should be enjoyed more because once they get in the real world, its not all fun and games. I hear kids all the time saying "I wish I was an adult" or "I cant wait to get my drivers license". I just want to shake them! Real life is hard....Being an adult doesn't mean that you don't have to obey your parents anymore, or that you can come and go as you please. Yes, that's usually what happens... BUT, Being an adult means you have to grow up, you have to start paying bills, keeping a job to pay those bills, and working so hard that fun time is gone! All your money is spent on bills, and even if you had the time to go out and do something fun... Guess What? Your rent is due. And driving... Its really not that fun. Once you have been driving for a while, you realize that its really not all its cracked up to be. Its a lot of responsibility. First, there is the insurance that you have to pay every month in order to drive... Second, there is the up keep of your vehicle... tires, spark plugs, oil changes, inspections, not to mention if anything ever goes wrong... And Then there is the car payment... unless you get a junker, which is back to my second point... which will probably inevitably lead to something going wrong.... SOOOO I could go on and on.... but basically its simple.... Life is a roller coaster and children need to slow down and enjoy their childhood with the knowledge that one day, childhood will be over and once it is, you cant go back.... So now i just need to figure out how to get my 5 year old to not want to grow up so quickly because if I hear him say "I cant wait till I'm old enough to drive" one more time I think I could pull out my hair.... I guess I'll just have to explain how the roller coaster works.