Childhood often carries an illusion of invulnerability. Surrounded by caregivers, protected by the limited knowledge of what loss, pain, and mortality is, one experiences the world through a sense of relative permanence. Yet, adulthood announces itself through moments of rupture. The illness of a parent for example provokes the realization of bodily fragility and creates a sudden reversal of roles within a family: the receiver of care becomes the giver. And suddenly, the child of the family finds themselves caring for those who once cared for them.
At the same time, the numerous world crises they may experience from a young age condemn them to an early and hasty maturity, leaving them with the numb feeling of too many responsibilities too soon, and with childhood and adolescence years not lived as they were meant.
At the same time, the numerous world crises they may experience from a young age condemn them to an early and hasty maturity, leaving them with the numb feeling of too many responsibilities too soon, and with childhood and adolescence years not lived as they were meant.