I'll pick up where I digressed yesterday. I hold that several aspects of my life were better before puberty. I remember That Day in fifth grade when all the little boys went into one room and all the little girls went into another. We received a run-down of the little joys that awaited us: cracking voices, sweat-induced BO (body odor), sweat in it's own nasty sake, body hair in embarrassing places (like your armpits), wet dreams (whatever the hell those were supposed to be...I just understood I'd be wetting the bed, and had convinced myself that random misfires would occur at many random points of my waking hours), acne, etc. There was much to fear. I lived the remainder of my prepubescent time in a state of constant dread.
Even now, much of the changes that took place leave ongoing minor agonies. Two-thirds of my morning hygienic routine is devoted to "fixing" some "symptom" of puberty. The problem isn't just time-cost: Mach 3 razors are damned expensive, and all those Old Spice High Endurance Fresh sticks add up.
Have there been some perks? I look OK to get into any movie I want but that came much after the awkwardness (being carded at 21 is one thing...if its for drinks, not movies with lots of explosions and words like "&%#@"). I'm also much stronger than at ten, which carries many a daily convenience such as the joys of being able to open a a lidded jar, but it's as much a gift as a curse: the guy strong enough to carry the heavy load is always the one asked to carry the heavy load.
Of course, I can only speak for boys, and I'm sure girls could come up with their own list of grievances.
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