I personally don’t believe in growing up for growing up’s sake. After all, we all know how boring grown ups are.
But when you look around and realise that people your age act and wear and do things differently from the way you do, you will start questioning if you’re meant to be grown up by now.
This year, in about 2 months time, I will be turning 30. You see, 30 sounds much older than 29. I’d say, 30 is like another milestone in your life. “Oh congratulations, you are now 30!” It’s something that just happens (we don’t control time and age) but we congratulate others for getting there (although they probably do not want to get there so quickly).
So, as with every milestone in life, it gets me thinking… Is this the time in life when I am meant to, like, grow up and stuff? Is this that pivotal moment for me to realise that I’m no longer a kid?
McDonald’s thinks so. Two weeks ago, I decided to email their customer support to ask if I can have my 30th birthday party this year ala Maccas. You know, with balloons and Happy Meals and toys and Ronald McDonald and all. My heart skipped a beat when I saw an email from them a few days ago! But sadly for me, the answer is no…
Thank you for your email regarding McDonalds Birthday Party. Julie you will need to contact your local store as the Parties are for children. The store may hold an 30th Party but it will depend on the individual store or maybe reserve a table in the Dining room.
The Parties at McDonald’s are only for children! And I am not in that category.
I wonder if I should reply that I am indeed a child at heart and that I demonstrate childlike nature… That, even though I am turning 30, I will act exactly like any other kid in one of their birthday parties: running around, grinning from side to side, shrieking as I twirl and skip. I will not be able to contain my excitement as I receive pressies and will want to open them immediately, but like any good kid, I will just smile and wait. I will want to make so many wishes that in the end I’ll probably just wish for something silly and blow the candles. I will wear the birthday hat and wait patiently for Ronald McDonald and the crew to arrive and entertain the crowd. I will be the last one to leave because I don’t want my birthday party to end. I will be so tired after the party that I will probably sleep in the car on the way home. But I will have regained all my energy in time to open all the pressies when I get home, feeling like it’s Christmas again. I will be treated like a little princess and that’s okay, because it’s my birthday. Can I do that? Don’t McDonald’s encourage us to find our inner child?
Sadly, that does not change the fact that I’m 30 and not 3. You see, the world categorises us based on our age. “Julie… the Parties are for children” is how it is with most things in life. I remember when I turned 25 and had to move away from the “18-24 years old” age bracket. Being one year older did not change me as a person drastically, but it did change how the world (or the marketers) view me.
I don’t blame Maccas, I still love their Coke and fries and apple pies. But I do feel that the world has got this wrong. That maybe age is really just a proof of your existence; of how long you have been living on earth and of how little time you have left.
I don’t think turning 30 will make me dress more like my age or turn me into the lady my mum has always wanted me to be (sorry mum! LOL). Gradual changes I’m fine with, in fact, I will anticipate changes. I look forward to becoming a better person, more Christlike in every aspect. Just not in the way the world wants me to be and not in the timeframe that they expect it to happen.
In two months and a bit, I will be 30. You will see, more or less, the same me. Definitely still growing up (although not vertically, unless you have a solution for this), but not a grown up the way you probably expect me to be. Be patient and just have fun with me! Can’t wait to party with you, maybe not at McDonald’s though! ;p