Most children cannot wait to grow older as this means they will no longer be treated like children and will be taken seriously.
But nobody ever tells you that growing older is actually a trap.
Growing older means you are most likely old enough to start drinking, but nobody ever tells you that drinking comes with a hangover, which comes with a sea of regret.
Growing older means you finish school and you get a job. But nobody ever tells you that it means paying tax, waking up early in the morning to be on time for the staff meeting, paying off your car, house, life insurance and funeral policies, and sometimes bailing your little brother out of jail.
Growing older means you finally meet Mr or Mrs Right and have a Top Billing-esque wedding and a dream honeymoon. It means that you move into your dream home in Rich-People Golf Estate, buy a station wagon or two and start the business of raising your tiny humans.
But nobody ever tells you that your marriage to Mr or Mrs Right is not going to be a slow motion montage of a perfect life with a beautiful soundtrack, and that there will in fact be screaming and shouting and red lipstick on the collar. Nobody ever tells you that your tiny humans stop being innocent and cute and start sneaking out of the house and slamming your doors while they tell you they hate you.
Growing older means that you have to sometimes make difficult decisions such as: Do you name your daughter Reneilwe or Mimosa? Because you do not want them to carry the brunt of having a funny name throughout their lives.
It means having the maturity to shoulder responsibility when no one else can. It means having the strength to face some of life’s difficulties and challenges head on and accepting change.
Growing older means discovering that life does not come with a manual, but has a reset button, which allows you second chances.
So I will continue to learn the pains of growing older, but will do so with a strong cup of coffee in my hand, my big girl panties pulled up firmly, with a sparkle in my eyes and a smile on my face.
