By: Ashley Pope

As we know 2019, has come to an interesting end. We have gone through an entire decade. Ten years have flown right before our eyes. The 2,000s babies are now adults, and we have grown into wonderful young men and women. Our favorite memories are gone. We are leaving behind a decade of decorating our lockers like Victorious and watching Caillou, Clifford, Arthur, and Dragon Tales as we prepared for school in the morning. Students who grew up in the 2,010s do not know Sid The Science Kid and have never experienced BrainPOP lessons. 

Our childhood was amazing because of the things we believed in. As kids, we thought if one crossed their eyes for too long, they would remain stuck in place. We were convinced that our teachers lived at school in their classrooms, our stuffed animals came to life when we weren’t watching, and the tooth fairy and Santa were real. Some even believed that if someone swallowed a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow inside of them.

Maturity has changed us. Former teens now yearn for a change of pace and strive to do our best. As our age increases, our mindset opens us and grows. Many of us who once thought we would never get a job are now hard-working individuals in the workforce. Look at us being productive while progressing along the pathway to becoming magnificent young adults!

With opportunities come responsibility. We need to stick up for ourselves, thank others for accepting us, be patient when people make mistakes, do others favors, and always strive for a positive outlook. The more we look for positive things, the less stress we all have and the better the image we have of ourselves. Remember: don’t stress about things that aren’t in your control! When we stress over the smallest things, we must keep in mind that the events that caused us stress are petty and won’t matter ten years from now. We’ve learned to better ourselves…now let’s take on the world!