Compare and Contrast Essay on Childhood vs Adulthood

Introduction

There are different stages of growth in a person's life. These stages can be classified into two main categories: adulthood and childhood. Childhood is the period when an individual is still growing up (Keenan, Thomas, Subhadra Evans, and Kevin 14). On the other hand, adulthood is the period when a person is grown up. How an individual lives these stages is drastically different, although some specific aspects such as mind behavior and reasoning can be similar or different. This paper will analyze the similarities and differences between childhood and adulthood by using aspects such as reasoning, actions, and thoughts.

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Reacting and Responding: Contrasting Actions and Responses of Adults and Children

Adults and children can be contrasted in how they react and respond to situations. Children act in a free manner, not considering the views and feelings of others around them. Adults tend to think and act according to the surrounding environment and situations. Adults are more aware of the thoughts and feelings of other people near them. Children do not think so much about a situation but act according to impulse (Keenan et al.44).

On the other hand, adults are not controlled by impulse. Society expects adults to behave and act in specific ways depending on the situation. As such, adults have a certain level of pressure that makes them behave in a manner acceptable in society. Although children are expected to act in a specific manner by society, they do not feel so much pressure when acting contrary to social expectations.

Freedom: Contrasting Levels of Freedom between Childhood and Adulthood

Both children and adults have different levels of freedom. Although adults have more responsibilities, they have more freedom when compared to children. Adults can travel to different places on their own. On the contrary, children have limited freedom. Children often travel with the company of an adult. Adults have the freedom to make decisions on the activities they are supposed to carry out in a day.

On the other hand, children are instructed what to do during their day. Adults do not ask for permission from their parents to carry out their activities. Children must request permission from their parents to play or do their activities.

Responsibilities: Contrasting Levels of Responsibilities in Childhood and Adulthood

In childhood, there are fewer responsibilities while in adulthood, there are many responsibilities. Children are taken care of by other people, and their needs are the responsibility of the parents. Adults take care of themselves, their finances, and their actions (Timothy 66). As such, adulthood is a period of many responsibilities.

Adults have more knowledge and skills compared to children. The adult can possess vast knowledge from life experiences and skills from formal education. Moreover, an adult can acquire knowledge from interacting with other people and life situations. On the contrary, children have minimal knowledge and skills.

The childhood period is viewed as a period of innocence when individuals are protected from the difficulties and struggles of life. On the other hand, adulthood comprises being able to face and handle those challenges. Although children go through emotional problems such as sicknesses, on most occasions, they are shielded from the challenges of life when compared to adults.

Biological Differences: Contrasting Physical Characteristics and Energies of Children and Adults

Biologically, childhood is a growth stage. During childhood, children grow and develop their bodies and way of thinking. Children's bodies are robust when compared to adults. Children can recover from diseases and injuries faster compared to adults (Keenan et al. 56). Children cannot remember many of their childhood experiences, especially those that are earlier than three years. On the contrary, adults have a wide experience and memories that they can remember during their lives.

Adulthood is characterized by growing taller, developing a deep voice for men, and having grey hair. On the other hand, children have smaller bodies and are often short. Children tend to have more energy when compared to adults. For example, in most cases, children will be seen playing or running around all the time. Children get tired easily during the day, and they require more sleep at night when compared to adults.

Similarities: Common Traits and Behaviors Carried from Childhood to Adulthood

The childhood and adulthood stages exhibit some similarities. For instance, when a child develops a like or dislikes for a particular thing, he/she will carry on that behavior to adulthood. A child can like particular food types, a trait that he/she can have even during adulthood. Additionally, a child may develop fear for something that aspect will remain until adulthood. For example, a child may develop a phobia for particular pets such as dogs such that the trait is carried until adulthood.

Conclusion

Children like to behave like adults, especially during role-playing. For example, a child may like to be regarded as a father when playing games with others. Similarly, adults sometimes may want to act like children at some stages of their life. For instance, very elderly people may walk with their hands similar to children during their crawling stage. This shows that during childhood, a person desires the future life while during adulthood, an individual may exhibit some childhood behaviors.

Indeed, there exist many differences and similarities between childhood and adulthood. An individual's physical appearance changes from childhood to adulthood. Moreover, an individual's responsibilities, skills, and knowledge increase as one grow from childhood to adulthood. There are many challenges that are associated with each stage of life. However, challenging one should always aspire to have good experiences of each stage.

Works Cited

Keenan, Thomas, Subhadra Evans, and Kevin Crowley. An introduction to child development. Sage, 2016.

Timothy, A. Salthouse. Mechanisms of Age-cognition Relations in Adulthood. Routledge, 2018.