Since when did I become an adult?

I say that while I'm drinking a glass of wine, so I am happy about being able to indulge in the occasional adult beverage.  Don't get me wrong being an adult has it's major pros.  Like drinking wine, sleeping in on Saturdays (before kids of course), buying your first car, taking a vacation, watching R-rated movies or facing the difficult decision of choosing to buy a strappy pair of shoes or some ankle boots to wear on a date night.  You obviously choose to buy BOTH pairs of shoes because being adult also means you have a job and make money and can afford both pairs.  See?  It's so much fun, right?  But, what about the easy childhood days of barefoot in the grass, spying on your neighbors on your bike with your neighborhood friends, nintendo games, eating an entire bag of Doritos (and NOT caring about the caloric intake) and freezing your BFF's underwear at a slumber party.  We all did it, and we all still couldn't wait to grow up to become doctors, lawyers, models, olympic athletes, or a professional member of the Babysitters Club (that was me, hands down).  As a child, you have the luxury of a imagination that is pure - a world of abandon at your fingertips.  What exactly happens to that as we grow up?  The real world smacks you in the face like a ton of bricks.  Right?  It's so easy for the world to get us down.  But, all I need to do is look into the eyes of my kids to see a little sparkle of my own inner child trying to shine brightly.  I do know that once you have your own children a little bit of that wonderment trickles into your logic-riddled brain.  It's just one of the very many joyous things that enter your life when you have a little one.  You are forced into their world with every dinosaur attack and tea party playdate.  It's one of the things that I enjoy watching in my children every day.  I love seeing how they play with such a free spirit and how they have no boundaries.  Everything is possible.  We could all take a few pointers from our children.  Now, I'm not saying we should go to the nearest candy store and have a tantrum over Twizzlers.  I love me some licorice, I can't deny it.  But, maybe we should shake awake our imaginations a little bit and tap into our inner-kid more often.  I'll try not to take things too seriously, believe in Santa and the mere idea that maybe I will someday have my very own professionally paid Babysitters Club member.  And I'll do it all with a glass of wine in my hand...