Pimento111, this is a good problem to have. Trust us. VERY good problem. * rushes to Duane Reade to buy expensive anti-aging cream* —Sparknotes editors
Do you know what it's like to be 15 and trapped in the vessel of a child? I do. Baby-faced and well under five feet tall, I can pass for a 10-year old, even though I'm actually deep into my teens. It seems like I'm aging in slow motion (although not as slowly as this girl). Needless to say, my "condition" can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the situation. Here are the pros and cons of looking much, much younger than your age:
- Cheaper movie tickets. Call me immoral but I think I might as well reap the benefits while I can. My dad gives me a hard time about it. He says it's wrong.
- I get to color at restaurants. Getting kids' menus used to bother me, but then I realized crayons are really fun. Art happens to be a hobby of mine, so it's nice to see the waiter's reaction to my rendition of the Mona Lisa wedged between the words "search" and "maze."
- Ordering off the kid's menu. Since my mom usually eats tiny portions and I generally crave massive cheeseburgers, I order the kids' grilled chicken breast and we trade. Win win.
- Surprising strangers with big words and fancy things. My favorite words are undulate and crepuscular. It's fun to play up the whole child genius thing.
- Being awesome at hide and seek. I would like to see you try and hide on top of the refrigerator or under the sink.
- I will grow some day. I could have some serious disorder where my growth is actually stunted, but I don't. Despite what my some may think, I am guaranteed to eventually become adultish. Besides, my sister was equally scrawny in her day and she turned out all right, so that's something to look forward to.
- Looking 30 when I'm 40. We'll get to this later.
- Getting caught in a lie when trying to get cheaper movie tickets to a P-13 or R rated movie. Ehhh, it happens.
- Being treated like a kid. Even when I was 11 (I looked 7-8), I didn't feel 11. My mom calls me an old soul. Being condescended to used to piss me off to a huge extent when I was younger. Eventually, I got used to waitresses cooing patronizingly when I order adult food: "OooOOooOOoo You ate soooOooo much! Good job. Eat more of yer veggies next time though to grow up big and strONNGGggg." But it doesn't mean it doesn't bother me.
- Watching your friends grow up around you. It's like being frozen in time. The years go on and suddenly everyone is six inches taller and the girls have huge boobs. Going out with them, I feel like a kid sister tagging along.
- Boys. I am patient. I don't think of myself as ugly. In fact, I'm often grateful for how cute I am. But I have a loooooong way to go before I'll ever be considered hot.
One time a friend told me about a dream he had. He went into a coma and woke up 10 years later looking exactly the same. He met up with our friends and they all pitied him and talked to him strangely. I said "welcome to my world."
But quite honestly, I am not alone. Teenagers don't look in real life like they do on TV. Most teenagers in the media are portrayed by actors in their 20s. You're in high school, so I don't have to tell you that teenage girls don't typically look like this, and that teenage boys don't look like this. (In fact, the average height for a 15 year old girl is only 5'4). It's common for teens in Hollywood to play kids. So if I keep aging at this rate, you never know, there may be an acting career in my future.
Do you look young for your age?
Related post: When Old Things Happen to Young Students