Ten

is such a wondrous age for a little girl to be.

You're young enough to be a child still, and

the troubles of the adult world are so very

far away. Nothing matters but recess, or if they'll

have pizza at lunch today, or whether your best friend

can sleep over on Saturday. Any voices you hear are just

imaginary friends, and that's okay, because after all

you're only

Twelve,

and though this puts you on the brink of womanhood,

you're not there yet. You can still balance a spoon

on your nose, get grass stains from rolling down

a hill, and have your pigtails pulled by boys

too afraid to kiss you. They're starting to encourage

you to put behind whims and fancies, though no one

really wants to spoil that smile. They have to, though,

because now you're

Fourteen,

and the world is beginning to see the adult

you're going to grow into someday. Innocence starts

to take its leave, and you learn that love will disappoint,

friends will betray, and dreams will fade. You begin

to learn all the ways a heart can break. But

you keep your optimism, and smile against the rain,

and hold onto your faith that the future will be bright,

because you're only

Sixteen,

and the world is full of promise. They all tell you

that you can have anything, if you're willing

to reach for it. They ask questions about what you want,

offer suggestions, just something to think about. But

what's the future to a girl with new car keys, and who

has time to contemplate a life when you're

dazzled by a charming smile? Impulses come easy,

for today you're

Eighteen,

and you're invincible. Some small part of you

may mourn for a lost childhood, for years

never to be regained, but it's forgotten quickly,

in a flash of light and speed, as you race

down the highway with your friends,

laughing and singing. Pains are easily forgotten,

worries swiftly set aside in favour of thrill.

But now you're nearly

Twenty,

and now they expect you to have answers

to those daunting questions they asked you so

long ago. Suddenly the world is more fright and less

promise, and the wounded child's heart has given

way to a woman's understanding. It's harder to

forgive now, when friends and lovers are, like you,

old enough to know better, and you have to plan

for your life.