The birthday cakes that used to hold the same number of candles as her age
Are now accompanied with candles just for decoration
The presents that used to consist of toys and other games
Are replaced with new technologies and means of fashion

Her little hands that used to be a few inches in length
Have become long fingers that can reach over an octave on the piano
Her short height that made her accustomed to using a step stool
Is now replaced with a 5 foot and few inches stature

The high-chairs that she used to sit in at restaurants
Are now much too small for her
The children’s menus that used to come with crayons
Are now never handed out to her

Each time her shoe size grew half a size bigger
She would anticipate the day she could shop for women’s shoes, not kids’
Each time she found that she had grown a few inches taller
She would find that her perspective looked slightly different

Each year she rushed through the days
Waiting for the time she could represent her age with two hands, not one
Each year she rushed through the moments
Waiting for the time she could call herself a teenager

But soon the responsibilities grew and time seemed to disappear
And she thought back to the never ending moments she had as a child
She remembered every adult that had told her to not grow up
And she wished that she had truly understood their wishes for her

She thought that the older one was
The more things that they could do
And although the older generation can make the decision
They can’t act like kids, like they once could do

She would look up at the older teenagers
Wondering if she could ever become as special as them
She counted down until the day that she herself
Would be looked up upon by the younger children

There had been days when she looked up at her parents
Questioning them as to why they had authority
There were days when she wanted to become older
In order to have her thoughts accepted by society

Her will to act freely without any boundaries
Is now replaced by the need to stay in line with the rest of society
Her will to be the innocent and unchanging child
Is now replaced by the necessity to grow older

The moment she entered high school she began to call herself a freshman
A word that seemed so foreign, to the tongue of the young girl that she had thought she was
The entry to college seemed to loom right around the corner
Every action monitored by the worthiness for the resume

It’s as if everybody is living a life for the future
But never a life for the present
It’s as if everybody only cares about the future events
And never the time they could enjoy at the moment

It’s as if everybody is running in a race
Only caring about reaching the finish line
But once they reach the finish line
They wish they had enjoyed the momentum of being in the race

And even her, who thought she understood
Found herself counting away the days until the next big event
She doesn’t cherish the moments now
But instead waits for the future that is yet to come

They told her not to grow up but she never listened
They told her not to grow up but she never stopped to enjoy the present
They told her not to grow up and soon she learned
She should have listened to their message

And so this girl wishes everyday
That someday she will be able to catch up to the time that seems to hurry past
But until that day, she leaves an important message with the toddlers she encounters
“Enjoy the now, and don’t wish you were any older”