The day my childhood ended, I was eleven. I was filled with laughter. I rode my bike with my friends all the time, so this day was like any other. The sun was at its peak, beaming down from above. It cast our shadows directly underneath us, like a perfectly cut hole for us to fall through. The thick hair on our heads, our greatest protector, captured the heat from the sun. We rode for hours, the ticking of the chain on the wheel mimicked the seconds that passed, counting down until the first flicker of the street lights. The grooves in our wheels held dirt gathered from years of adventure. Though these expeditions maintained a 4½ block radius, the imagination of a child left many excursions to be endured. It was the last day I would ever experience anything close to that.
The day my childhood ended, I was six. My uncle had been in prison for some time by then, but it was the first day his absence had come to my young mind's attention. Something in me knew not to ask where he was, though my need for answers as a new human left me distraught. I imagined he’d gone on vacation with a pretty girl, or maybe that he’d been taken by the FBI, or maybe he’d been abducted by aliens, or maybe he was dead.
The day my childhood ended, I was thirteen. It was August 18th, 2019, my birthday. I had just become a teenager, a new person.
The day my childhood ended, I was sixteen. I’d given myself to someone, entirely, for the first time. I had lost the ‘purity’ of childhood that society had told me to treasure.
The day my childhood ended, I was fourteen. It was the first time I had contemplated whether or not to stay.
The day my childhood ended was yesterday.
The day my childhood ended was today.
The day my childhood ended was tomorrow, and the day after that.
There is no day that could possibly mark the end of my childhood, because I choose when my childhood is over, nothing and no one else but me.
No event, no trauma, no loss, no gain, only me.
Writing is fairly new to this anonymous author as she did not begin writing creatively until this school year. She enjoys expressing her emotions through her writing while also making it relatable for others. She takes her inspiration from screenwriters, poets, and songwriters.
About this piece: "When I tried to think of the actual day my childhood ended, I couldn't pin point any time when I felt like childhood was really over for me. This made me realize that the idea of childhood is different for everyone and could last forever or only last for a decade, and that being a child is something that can only be taken from you if you let it."