7 things I couldn't wait to do when I was a kid that is now a pain in the arse

My childhood was short lived. By the age of 10 I was chasing boys and obsessed with reading about ''pop stars'' in Smash Hits magazine (shout out to all the nineties kids!) As early as I can remember I was wishing I was older, wanting to wear nicer clothes and be what I considered a proper adult. But with getting older comes a huge amount of responsibility not to mention an entirely new beauty routine.

Below are 7 things I couldn't wait to do as a girl that I now, for the most part resent.

Picking out my own clothes
In fairness to my parents I was always allowed a degree of control over what I wore. But there's no denying that phase of childhood where parents parade you around in some of the most horrific clothes imaginable. I remember as a child always being excited at the prospect of buying my own clothes and being able to completely avoid horrendous getups like this...

but it's bloody expensive. Clothes are easily my biggest expense and as much as I love them reverting back to a time where what I wear didn't matter would be nice - even if only for a day.

Shaving
This is a bit weird. Not entirely sure why but from an early age I couldn't wait to be old enough to be allowed to shave my legs. In fact in hindsight I went behind my dad's back and started doing it at about 10/11 regardless of whether or not I had permission. Shaving is a massive commitment. It's a part time job in itself, keeping on top of all the areas that need upkeep not to mention the cost associated with buying razors, shaving gel and the like. Now I'm in a position where its no longer a choice but a necessity I wish I hadn't started so young.

Plucking my eyebrows
From 2003 - 2009 I didn't really have any. Due to massive over plucking as a teen my eyebrows are almost none existent even today. (Thank god for eyebrow pencils!) Everyone warned me ''once you start you won't be able to stop'' and man were they right. Having to keep on top of eyebrow grooming is the thing I resent most on this list and find the most tedious. It takes bloody ages to get eyebrows back into an acceptable shape with very little reward. When was the last time someone complimented how well you've plucked your eyebrows? Exactly.

Wearing a bra
I have vivid memories of stuffing my bra with socks as a girl. I wanted boobs more than anything. Again, not entirely sure why. In retrospect I WISH I'd made the most of my 11 year old boy's figure, being able to sleep on my stomach comfortably, run around without being in pain etc. Wearing a bra is often uncomfortable and nowadays there's no greater feeling than taking your bra off after a long day.

Dying and cutting my hair
When I was 13 I dyed my hair red in a pub toilet. Since then my hair has gone from the blackest of blacks (epic life fail) to blonde and various shades in between. As I entered my teens my hair got darker and I couldn't wait to be able to dye it. Now it's an expensive pain in the arse. Blonde hair needs retouching every 6 weeks to avoid looking like a hood rat and it ain't cheap! If I could tell my 13 year old self something it would be leave your hair alone! (and for the love of god step away from the black dye)

Getting my nails done
I used to love having my nails painted as a kid and couldn't wait to be old enough to warrant getting a professional manicure. In fact I haven't not had my nails done in about 6 years. I love having neat nails and regardless of the annoyance they sometimes cause and how impossible they make texting I'll continue to get them done. However, there's no disputing the fact that when you think about it, paying 35 quid to have a complete stranger glue bits of plastic to your finger tips is actually quite extortionate.

Wearing heels
I love love love heels. If there's one thing I think is always a sound investment it's a nice pair of heels. I was stumbling around in my mum's shoes as soon as I could walk. I LOVED them. Something about them being exclusively for women and very girly meant I couldn't wait to wear them all the time! To a degree this is still true. I have more pairs of heels than I do friends and I'm ok with that. But there's no denying they aren't always the most comfortable footwear. Definitely designed by a man high heels can be borderline crippling and as much as it is individual choice to wear them once you've set yourself that standard it's hard to stop. I should have eased myself into it and learned to walk before I could run.

Overall as much as I absolutely adore 'embracing my femininity' I wish I hadn't wished it upon myself so young. I'll never get those boob-free years back and my eyebrows are still paying the price.