Dear Diary,

I'm 19 years old, and I spend most of my time with 16 year olds. My 19 year old friends think there's something wrong with me.

Maybe there's something wrong with me, kind of like how there's something wrong with Michael Jackson. I remember hearing something about him being so attracted to young kids because he missed out on his own childhood. It's a psychological thing. Maybe I missed out on something about being 16. What is there to miss out on? I guess maybe my driver's license, which I didn't get until I was 17... I don't think that's it though, because I hung out with these kids when they were 12 and I was 15. Maybe I missed out on something about being 3 years younger than me.

Maybe there's something wrong with me, kind of like how there's something wrong with Peter Pan. He's an immature fuck who doesn't want to face responsibility. I guess you could say that about me, but I'm not totally like him. I like to think I'm at least a little bit mature. I mean, I know when it's not appropriate to be an asshole. I know when to put my dickheadedness aside and act "normal".

Maybe there's something right with me, and something is wrong with the rest of society for making me think there's something wrong with me. Age doesn't even exist. Look at animals. Lions don't ever sit around in Pride Rock and think "Fuck, I'm 3 years old, and I still haven't fucked a hawt lioness and made some cubs." They just fuck as soon as they're "sexually mature". Animals aren't like people. They won't criticize a sexually mature 13 year old for getting pregnant. In fact, I'm sure they'd condone it, because 13 is old for lots of animals. (Sarcasm.) Truth is, they wouldn't give a fuck about how old the pregnant animal is, because it's going to push out a kid and preserve their species, which is pretty much all animals care about. (Except monkeys, who jack off a lot.) Anyway, my point is, age doesn't exist. People made it up. I don't know why, maybe it was so they could have an excuse to get free shit once a year.

I haven't had a birthday party since I was 10. I think it has a lot to do with me not thinking age is a big deal. I've always thought that putting "age limits" on things was stupid. Like having to be 17 to watch an R-rated movie. I think you just need to be mature enough to handle it. That could mean 14 for some people or 25 for others. Unfortunately, there isn't really a way of testing that for legal purposes. Maybe everybody just needs to loosen up.

Maybe I'm just "ahead of the curve". Look at anyone who's over 30 years old. Not all of their friends are the same age as them. Some are older, some are younger. My mom is about to hit 50, and the people she "parties" with (co-workers) are like 35. Perhaps I'm just too progressive for this generation. Maybe these 16 year olds understand me better because they're younger than my generation, and younger generations are always a bit more radical.

So Diary, in conclusion, fuck age. I can hang out with whoever I want. Age isn't a qualification for friendship. Common ground, similar interests, these are the things that a friendship should be based on.

-Nick.