Growing Up as an All-American Kid

Growing Up as an All-American Kid

Growing up is not an easy thing to do. You have no idea what is going on with your body, your emotions change at the drop of a hat, and you sometimes wonder what the point of life is. However, what you do know is that Mercer is planning a party after the game Friday night and you need to be there. This is the way I seem to remember high school when I think about it for a brief second. However, when I sit down and actually give it some thought, I realize that there is so much more about those years I have forgotten about--all of the little things that happened to everyone everyday and those major events that seemed to change my life. Everything that went into making us All-American kids.

Growing up in a small mid-western town was exactly like a lot of people imagine it to be. The years kept passing by, but it seemed like nothing ever changed. We went to school, played sports, chased girls, worked on our friend’s father’s farms, and talked about how we couldn’t wait until we graduated so that we could finally move out.

Even though we were growing up in a typical town and living typical high school lives, it seemed like so much more. No one cared about anything except what they were going to do that night and there wasn’t a thing anyone could do about it. We were young and alive. I think my football coach referred to it as, “Being full of piss and vinegar.” Maybe we were, and we might have bitched and moaned, but deep down inside I think we loved every minute of it. From proms and parties, secret crushes and that first kiss, to shooting pool and playing video games, there was always something going on. For me it was as simple as sitting on my best friend’s roof smoking a cigar in the middle of winter, or as difficult as hugging one of my best female friend’s on my front porch while she cried because she was seventeen years old and had just had an abortion. No one knew what was going to happen next, and I think that was part of what made life seem so invigorating.