They always say that youth is wasted on the young. I don’t know who “they” are, but the older I get, the more I realize “they” really cooked when dropping that little nugget.
As you age, everything seems to get juuuuuust a little bit harder, and if not harder, more complicated. You end up thinking back, like, “Damn! I should have enjoyed that more!” or, “Shit! Why did I stress over literally nothing?”
Over at Reddit, user OwnReality7419 asked the crowd, “What’s a ‘youth privilege’ you miss most?” and I’m not gonna lie, some of the answers straight up depressed me, but others made me feel motivated to take life by the ding-dang horns and enjoy every moment, because the moment is all we really have. Here’s what people had to say:
1.
“I used to ROUTINELY house a 20-piece McNugget, Coke, and fries at like 1 a.m. with no issues. I would do this a few times per week, always after having eaten a full day’s worth of calories. I was like 160lbs and lean, solid shits, no problems. If I did that now, I don’t know if the shits, the obesity, or the diabetes would get me first.”
2.
“Our perception of time. A year was sooo long back then. Now, a month feels like what a week did back then.”
—u/No_Step9082
3.
“I was talking to friends recently about how I used to be able to sleep wedged up against a piece of furniture when I was 20, but now, in my 40s, I need a mattress of a specific firmness and my specific orthopedic pillow, or I will be in pain for days.”
—u/angelicism
4.
“I used to work at 8 a.m. every Sunday during college; I don’t think I was ever NOT hungover. But I’d just drink some water, eat some food, and be good to go. A few weeks ago, my cousin got married, and I hit the sauce quite a bit. I was hungover for a full week.”
6.
“I REALLY miss Thanksgiving and spring breaks. Just a solid week off with no worries.”
“That first week of school, being out for the summer. Can’t believe I’ll never live that again.”
7.
“I wasn’t one beer away from a gout flare-up.”
8.
“Having a full head of hair. Now, it’s more like having full ears, nostrils, and ass of hair.”
9.
“The general ability to not be in any permanent form of trouble. I used to love climbing buildings (mostly schools because they seem to be built for it), but as soon as I turned 18, I knew I couldn’t do that anymore without getting a charge.”
“Being able to deck someone and have no consequences other than a school suspension. When you’re a minor, being able to kick the shit out of the racist is actually an option, but when you’re an adult, you’ll get sued to hell and back and get more jail time than the racist.”
—u/Rachana_2022
10.
“Not having to plan and prepare three meals a day.”
11.
“Doing Christmassy things at school in December. Now, as an adult, I actually have to put effort and spend money to celebrate it.”
12.
“Ignorance of certain things— I liked not knowing how cruel the world really is. I enjoyed the bliss of it.”
—u/colleenk69
13.
“Today I kicked a ball wrong with my 3-year-old and am 60% sure I broke my foot. So I’d say I miss not injuring myself doing the most mundane of things.”
14.
“Having all options open to you. Once you are married, have kids, etc., you are just more settled.”
15.
“There was an unwritten rule amongst all high school kids where I lived: If you asked for free stuff (an extra burger or fries, free entrance to the movies, free food from a waiter or waitress your age), they gave it to you. It could be kids you had never seen before from three school districts away. Just ask. If they could do it, they would. I got hundreds of dollars worth of free food and entrance fees, and gave back whenever I could.”
16.
“Not having a full-time job.”
19.
“The feeling of having energy for things, of life having this freshness and excitement to it. Don’t take your youth and days in the sun for granted!”
20.
“Getting the benefit of the doubt. People are generally nice to young people if they need help with things like getting directions, extensions on school work, getting out of traffic tickets, etc. Now, you’re expected to always ‘know better.'”
22.
“Sweating. I barely used to sweat, only on really hot days. Now, the sweat will literally drip off my head.”
23.
“I miss being able to say exactly what I think without judgment, and people not reading into everything I say. I also miss being able to ask dumb questions and talking about exciting things instead of boring things like mortgages.”
24.
“Having parents who are alive/not old and impaired. It’s rough to experience.”
What youth privileges do you miss the most? Tell me in the comments or in the anonymous Google Form below. Your responses may be used for a future BuzzFeed article!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
