As a kid, it seemed like adults (or older siblings) often said, "You'll understand when you're older." And while age does help usher in a lot of wisdom and knowledge, something about the holidays reminds us that being a kid was also extremely rad.
Some days you just wish you were little again. Here are 17 times our hearts have ached for childhood:
1. Saturday mornings.
Cartoons used to be something really special as a kid. A big bowl of cereal, endless possibilities and a clunky remote in your hand meant a lot more than any boozy brunch or workout class does now.
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2. When your mom is going somewhere fancy and you aren’t there to watch her get ready.
Regardless of if your mother took hours getting ready or wore only black mascara before going out for the evening, there was always something magical about being a little girl and watching a grown woman get ready to leave the house.
3. Christmas morning.
Believing in Santa was so fun. Now you’re more worried about if you remembered to take the price tag off the bottom of a gift.
4. When you and your best friend part ways for the night.
And you realize her boyfriend/girlfriend/husband gets to have sleepovers with her all the time.
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5. When you smell chalk, dry erase marker or pencil shavings.
There was a time when your only job in life was to learn stuff. Looking back now, how cool is school??
6. When you have to fill up your gas tank.
You can remember pressing your face against the car window and watching your parent pump gas. You got to stay in the cool/warm car and not worry about gas prices spiking.
7. When you have to pack for a trip.
Remember when you would just show up places and the things you needed (toothbrush, sweatshirt, stuffed animal) magically appeared with you? Now you have to literally pay airlines to be allowed to bring your stuff with you.
8. When it is grey and rainy outside.
Now your first thought is “do I have a hood?” or “where’s that mini umbrella?” instead of how messy can I get by jumping in that puddle?
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9. When you can’t figure out what to wear.
Remember when someone dressed you every day? And did your laundry?
10. When you walk through the cereal aisle in the grocery store.
Now you probably pay attention to things like grams of sugar. Nothing smells like childhood as much as a bowl of cereal.
11. When you’re trying to get a duvet cover back on.
Just why?
12. When you’re the only one who can see that the floor needs to be swept.
You used to get an allowance for helping with chores around the house. Housework goes faster as a team!
13. When you see your parent(s) getting older.
They seemed kind of old when you were little, but that’s because you thought 40 was really old. You miss them picking you up. Now you know you should offer to help them as much as they help you.
14. When something breaks at home.
People used to magically fix things when you were little, like changing a lightbulb or calling the electrician. Toilet overflowed? You were too little to use the plunger. Now something breaks and you have to fix it.
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15. When your to-do list is out of control.
The only lists most kids make are handwritten ones addressed to the North Pole. Or maybe lists of kids you had crushes on in middle school. Now your list is filled with things like “return X to Y and Z,” “call credit card company,” “replace water filter” and “buy gift for wedding.”
16. When you see or hear little kids playing.
When was the last time you ran through a grassy field or got super sweaty in a game of tag? We should all be doing this more.
17. When you accidentally rear-end someone trying to park at In-N-Out.
And you’re like, "I just want a cheeseburger."
Also on HuffPost:
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Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
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