“Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grownup, to admire the grownup because it is grownup, to blush at the suspicion of being childish-these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence.” This quote from C.S. Lewis that Beverly Lyon Clark mentions in her book Kiddie Lit was one that I found particularly interesting. In a society where maturity is a coveted quality, it was quite difficult for me to view this statement as having some truth to it. Being an “adult”, in my opinion, means having much responsibility, one being having a maturity level that greatly surpasses that of a child. As an adult, one is responsible for being a role model for children. This means that we are responsible for explaining to young minds what it means to be mature and what behaviors are socially acceptable or unacceptable. Furthermore, we have responsibilities that are necessary for us just to survive. This includes the all wonderful world of paying bills, feeding ourselves, and sheltering ourselves. There are, in fact, worries to have when being an adult. So for Lewis to say being concerned about being a grownup is childish is a bit inappropriate.

When we, as adults, cross the line from adulthood back into childhood/childishness, it can definitely be frowned upon. This is not to say that we cannot lower our maturity levels from time to time. Let us be completely honest, there are moments when we tend to “play around” and act like “children” when we are around our friends or when we are around younger siblings, nieces, nephews, etc. However, if this behavior carries over into our professional lives, society definitely raises its eyebrow. With this being said, I disagree with Lewis’ claim that being worried about acting childish is childish itself. There are instances in our lives where we just need to be aware of our behavior because of societal and professional expectations.