That's a tough question. My knee jerk response would be to say that yes, I would like to be a child again. I don't feel like an adult most of the time, and I have my share of childlike interests. I particularly enjoy reading children's books. In many ways, I find childhood to be far, far more appealing than adulthood.
However, when I objectively examine my own childhood, I recognize that it was very difficult and unhappy. Unfortunately, adulthood isn't shaping up to be any better for me. As a child, I was treated as a lesser species of human by some people. As an adult, I'm still treated as a lesser species of human. As a child, I felt unprepared to handle the demands being placed on me. As an adult, I still feel unprepared to handle the demands being placed on me. As a child, I was unhappy with the person I was, and deeply uncomfortable in my own skin. As an adult, I'm still unhappy with who I am and deeply uncomfortable in my own skin. As a child, the escape that kept me some version of sane was my books and imagination. As an adult, that continues to be true, as there's nothing on my present reality that brings me any happiness. In other words, adulthood isn't proving to be so different from childhood.
I do find myself prone to the delusion that, "the grass is always greener on the other side." Thus, when I reminsce on my childhood, I find myself dwelling on the rare happy moments, and conveniently avoiding thinking about the rest. I've honestly forgotten a lot from my childhood, leading me to believe I'm most likely blocking out the worst of it. Thus, when the demands of the adult world prove particularly burdensome, I can easily fool myself into thinking that childhood was a simpler and happier time, even knowing intellectually that's not the case.
If I could revisit childhood, knowing what I do now, it might very well prove a better time of life than it was the first time around. If I had to start with a clean slate, unable to take my present skills and knowledge with me, I very much doubt it would be a good experience. This poll really needs a "not sure" option.
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"And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad./ The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."
Last edited by OuterBoroughGirl on 31 Mar 2010, 5:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.