With 2019 coming to a close, many teenagers feel like their childhood is coming to an end – however, several other people feel like this isn’t the case. 

“Honestly, it just occurred to me recently that a new decade is beginning, which I actually think is kind of exciting,” said Kay Bacharach, an English teacher at Granite Bay High 

School.

Bacharach, like many other people, agree that the end of the year is just that – the end of a year and nothing more. It’s something to be excited about and a time to reflect, but it’s also the same as every other new year. 

With that being said, there is a common nostalgia that comes with the conclusion of the year. 

“It does feel like my childhood is lowkey over because we as a generation are growing and adapting out of lifestyles,” sophomore Suravi Kanugula said. 

Kanugula isn’t the only student at GBHS to feel this way.

“It kinda feels like my childhood is over, I will miss the toys and the music,” sophomore Kalina Desai said. 

Teenagers, especially the most recent generation, tend to feel an overwhelming amount of stress and many spend their teenage years worrying about school and not focusing on the fun things in their lives. Even teachers miss the simple pleasures they enjoyed as kids.

“I was a kid in the 70’s–I don’t remember being sad when the 80’s began, but as I reflect on the 70’s,” said Bacharach, “I have cherished, nostalgic feelings of my childhood – Brady Bunch, Jackson 5, carefree summer days . . .”

 “I don’t necessarily feel like it’s the end of a generation, but I do kind of feel like it’s a closing to my childhood because with all the Instagram and Tik-Tok videos, it makes me really sad to know that I’m too old now to watch what I used to watch and honestly when I have the time, I would rather relax,” sophomore Easha Narayanan said.

Clearly, it’s debatable about whether the association of the end of 2019 with the end of teenagers’ childhoods is valid. 

Nonetheless, it seems as though there’s a common consensus for people to remember and hold close the sentimental toys, movies, memories, etc. of the past. 

“I look back on all the toys I used to play with my sister,” Narayanan said, “and it gives me a happy feeling but also makes me realize that I won’t ever be that young again and am only getting older.”