Peter Pan Syndrome

I have it. But for those of you who aren't quite familiar with the term, here is a definition:

"Peter Pan syndrome, a desire to remain young and not face the responsibilities of youth, is the natural result of anyone who had a good childhood. The naive security of youth is looked upon fondly as an ideal state of being. Although the "condition," which is really just a state of mind, has gained a negative connotation in quasi-psychological use, it is actually a normal part of the post-adolescent mindset. If, however, the Peter Pan is to completely shun adult responsibility to the detriment of happiness or relationships, he can be said to be a "victim" of this syndrome."

Source

I knew the definition already, but I didn't know the cause, "the natural result of anyone who had a good childhood". It's true, so totally true. I had the childhood every children on Earth should have. Oh, we weren't rich or anything, but my father has worked hard so that we had everything we needed. And my mother. Oh, my mother. How I love her! She stayed at home to raise me and my 3 sisters, and I have the best memories of us both playing together. And she always did fun things on special days like, of course, our birthdays, Halloween and Christmas, but also on Valentine's Day (I remember heart-shaped Jello and cute decorations everywhere), April's Fool, Palm Sunday, Easter, etc. I remember gardening, and cooking, and singing, and reading, and drawing, and doing homeworks with her, and I still cherish those moments dearly.

So. The cause being too good a childhood, how do you actually cure the syndrome? I mean, it's not like I completely shun adult responsibilities. I mean, I just couldn't. I live by myself since I'm 17 (there's no other choice when you live so far away from all post-secondary schools), so it's been quite some time since I have bills to pay, meals to cook, cleaning to do, etc. My 18th birthday was like a big slap in the face though, because I really wasn't ready for all these new responsibilities. And then I graduated from university and with that came new responsibilities: I had to find a job. Job that one year later, I still haven't found. Oh, I had other jobs (one's gotta pay one's bills), but just none in my field. Also, now I have to dress like a "working lady", which I totally hate. It's sooo not me. "Me" is well represented by a drawing I did of myself in 2008.

How do you go from that to wearing blouses and women's suits? Also, I feel an immense pressure from the society as to my lifestyle. Everybody seems so concerned with cooking, and exercising, and keeping their home super duper clean, and they've got nice jobs, and they get up early, and still they find the time to do a bit of art and such... Are they wonder women, or am I just too lazy? Because my cooking cannot be considered "cooking" at all, I exercise rarely, my home is usually at least a bit messy, and the jobs I have had until now aren't worth talking about.

So it's not like I actually shun adult responsibilities. It's just that... I find them overwhelming. I suppose I have it somewhere, the strength to grow up. To take on my responsibilities seriously. The strength to actually get up early every morning, get dressed up at least a bit, never postpone house cleaning, and cook real meals that always follow Canada's Food Guide. And I suppose I will eventually find a real job. I just... need to do a bit of cleaning in my life, start to think about my priorities and then learn to be organized.

Until I wrote this post, I still did not really know what my blog would be about. Now I do. It will be about me trying to find my way towards becoming a real "accomplished woman". And I really hope this blog will help me achieve it.

By the way, any advice or experience you could share with me would be very appreciated! ♥