As children, most of us couldn’t wait to grow up. Adults around us got to go to bed late at night, they could eat whatever they wanted and they could go places without anybody’s help or permission. But now that we are adults ourselves, we finally see what an illusion that was and many of us long to go back to our childhood when things were way simpler and all you had to do was sleep, play, and eat. We asked a few people what they missed the most about their childhood. Here’s what they had to say.
Bikash Timalsina, Student
I was born and raised in Kaski, Pokhara. And I have great memories of my childhood there. But one particular memory from my childhood comes to mind when talking about what I miss the most about my childhood. During the summer months, my friends and I used to swimming in an irrigation pool. As the water for the pool came from the Seti river and was very sandy, the sand used to glow in the sun and so I felt really good about myself. When I got home, my hair and body used to be covered in sand which I would then dust off with my mother’s freshly washed clothes. This particular memory is so close to my heart—it’s what I wish I could go back to.
Essential tests
Bhakta Thapa Magar, Bowling Technician
When we were young, my friends and I used to take our animals and go cattle-grazing. Today, all those friends are far away from me. And even when we miraculously happen to meet sometimes, we talk about those small moments in the woods. We came home after school, had some snacks and took our animals up the mountains. With our individual khukuris, we climbed and ran through the place every day. And while the animals were busy grazing about, we went for a swim in the river. Udaypur used to get enough sun that our clothes would dry before we reached home. I have fond memories of the time and would give anything to revisit my childhood days.
Dikshya Buda Magar, Student
Where do I begin? The main thing I miss the most about being a child is the simplicity of it. There were no burdens of responsibility and I could truly just be myself. I had no worries. I miss pretty much everything about my childhood—the pampering I received from my parents and the fact that I could pretty much get what I wanted. But sadly, things have grown more complicated ever since then. Now that I’ve grown up, things seem just too serious and I wish I could go back in time and be a child again.
Pradeep Karki, Pharmacist
I don’t miss anything about being a child. The main reason for this is because I had a very unpleasant childhood. I was bullied very heavily in my childhood and a lot of people called me strange. I felt like I wasn’t accepted the way I was by anyone or anywhere at all. So, I turned into a diffident and reserved child. My life is much better now than it had ever been before so I tend not to think about my unhappy and difficult childhood. At least now I have a few people around me who like me for me and accept me for who I am.
Rabina Rijal, Shopkeeper
The thing I miss the most about being a child is having lots of time to just play and have fun. I especially remember playing chungi, gatti and skipping rope when I was a child. I was very fond of these games, they made me happy. My friends and I would just gather around somewhere in our neighborhood almost every day and play for hours on end. Now I don’t even have the time to catch up with my friends on a regular basis. Even if I do get some time for myself, I’m mostly on my phone instead of doing something physical. So I frequently miss that part of being a child.
Garima Shrestha, Student
I miss the fact that nothing used to be that serious when I was a kid. There were no severe consequences of the things you said, the things you did—everything was all fun and games. People and friends didn’t get offended over small things. Today, you have to think twice about everything, even being who you want to be. I studied in an all-girls school, so when I moved to a co-education system, the lack of freedom because of the presence of boys was a whole new thing for me. Everything seemed more open and fun when I was young. There is just a lot of thinking to do when you are an adult.
