History Main / GrowingUpSucks

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is a ComingOfAgeStory where "growing up" apparently includes enduring terrible pain, sacrificing yourself for your best friend, [[spoiler:then being [[RetGone erased from existence]]]]. However, the series is [[MindScrew very open-ended]], and often interpreted as a subversion or inversion where much of the conflict comes from ''refusal'' to grow up and face your emotional problem or attempting to grow up in ways that are actually very immature (mostly on the assumption of SexAsARiteOfPassage). [[spoiler:Utena experience also may have let her AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, while Anthy abandoning her abusive brother and Ohtori Academy to "grow up" and follow Utena is a definite step up.]]

** A little deeper than that. "Should you need us..." Growing up does not mean you abandon the fantasy things you love, but just realizing they are fantasy and you can't let it get in the way of what's important.

* Another Disney Channel Original Movie, ''Film/DontLookUnderTheBed'', showed abandoned imaginary friends turning into boogeymen. Boogeymen with mouths full of fangs and long, yellowed fingernails that dragged children under the bed and trapped them in the underworld. So... yeah.
** However, it's stated that usually when kids grow up, imaginary friends find new kids to be friends with, only when they're abandoned before they're ready do they turn into boogeymen. Making it "trying to grow up ''too fast'' sucks".

Occasionally a child character will get to live as an adult for a while, [[FreakyFridayFlip Freaky Friday-style]], taking full advantage of their increased power and ability to make their own rules. Inevitably the {{Aesop}} emerges that adults can't do whatever they want, but that sort of story will often exaggerate the down sides of growing up to [[{{Anvilicious}} drive the point home]]; the character will be stuck working at a soul-crushing job under a BadBoss, and most of their time outside of work will be taken up with household chores. It also becomes [[BrokenAesop broken]] when you realize that not only do kids have rules and choices made for them (you can choose a job you want and even quit for whatever reason--but you're forced to stay in school when you're younger and ''cannot'' quit) but they also have (often parentally-enforced) responsibilities like adults do (school, homework, pre-selected chores, etc.)

* Ren from ''Manga/{{Sazanami Cherry}}'' is a WholesomeCrossdresser with an AmbiguousGenderIdentity. He doesn't like the fact that puberty will hamper his androgynous, girly looks and change his voice.

* In ''Anime/KibouNoChikaraOtonaPrettyCure23'', we see that the Anime/YesPrettyCure5 team have achieved their dreams… and they are not what they expected. This hits them so bad [[TheMagicGoesAway they’ve somehow lost their powers]].

** A specific example of this is "Jill", a series of pony books written in the 1950s and definitely a product of its time. She's portrayed as a highly capable, intelligent girl with a gift for dealing with horses. Once she leaves school, though, her [[{{Mentors}} mentor]] Captain Cholly-Sawcutt (yes, that is his real name, honest) sternly informs her that she's too old to be playing with horses all the time, and as a girl she'll never make it in the competitive field. To which Jill replies that he's absolutely right, and she'll get stuck in at her typing classes so she can be a "top notch" secretary, the only proper job for a woman. Sigh. It's something of a double whammy, as Captain Cholly-Sawcutt previously offered Jill a job at his stables when she leaves school and the reader is never told just how, when or why he changed his mind.

* ''Literature/TheLittlePrince'' is filled with examples of this trope. One of them is the phrase : "All grown-ups have been children, but very few remember."

** Inverted in the Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy (which became the video game ''Below The Root''). Green-sky is populated by descendants of an earth colony, and babies are born with psychic powers they're supposed to ''keep'' and improve on as they mature. Here, the entire society was originally designed so that growing up would ''not'' suck. The fact that successive generations are losing these abilities at earlier ages is one of the first ominous signs that something is really wrong.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

--> '''Dad''':Shh! Listen! Boys! Life is going to come at you hard and fast. This is the only chance you get. Stay up '''all night'''! Enjoy it while you can! You will grow up before you know it... You'll be at work building credit so you can '''afford''' to have food, or school, or even basic human dignity! Your mom will be asleep in 20 minutes! Godspeed!

See also MilestoneBirthdayAngst, SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids, KidHero, ComingOfAgeStory, CompetenceZone, DeathByNewberyMedal, and Bittersweet17. Contrast DangerousSixteenthBirthday which uses the advent of adulthood as the ''start'' of an adventure... unless you [[IJustWantToBeNormal just want to be normal]] -- then growing up still sucks. Contrast NotGrowingUpSucks and OldFlameFizzle.

* Joyfully subverted in ''Good Night Opus'' where the story ends with Opus returned home after his fantasy journey and telling about it to his Granny. Thus informed, Granny finds a Pegasus coming to her bedroom to take her on her own trip.

* In ''A Coming of Age'' by Creator/TimothyZahn, people are born with powerful telekinetic powers, and lose them at puberty. Adults keep them in line by controlling all technology and knowledge (even reading), but kids can [[IBelieveICanFly fly under their own power]], so it's clear who has the better end of the deal.

* Partially (and grimly) subverted in Günter Grass's novel ''The Tin Drum''. Three-year-old Oskar deliberately stunts his growth, by hurling himself down the stairs, in an attempt to avoid the [[CrapsackWorld horrors of the adult world]]. He also uses his titular toy drum to [[HeadphonesEqualIsolation shield himself from these horrors]]. In the end, [[spoiler: a blow to the head causes him to age instantly, becoming horribly malformed]].

* In ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'', Nobody Owens [[spoiler:loses his powers after he has grown-up and fulfilled the prophecy.]]
** But it's made clear that adulthood is when he gets to explore the world and find a real identity for himself. The {{Aesop}} here is more 'growing up is difficult but necessary, now get on with it'.

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'' children are able to talk to animals, but lose the ability to do so (and forget they ever were able to) as they grow older. There are a few exceptions though: those that never lose their sense of wonder and curiosity (like Samantha), those that essentially never grow up (such as Dave), and veterinarians.

* One of the most popular strips in ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' has Jeremy's mom grabbing him, unzip his body to reveal his six-year-old self. Then they spend several panels doing whatever activities a six-year-old would do with his mother (but a teen wouldn't be caught dead doing) before going back in his body and zipping it back up. It's an unusual example in that the trope is being applied to the mom ''about'' the kid-- Jeremy has so far shown no nostalgia for his childhood.

->''"I'll let you in on a little secret, Detweiler. Every adult you've ever known was a kid at some time in his life. You think we don't remember summer vacation? Riding bikes down by the creek, catching polliwogs in a jar, camping out under the stars? Well, you're wrong! Some days, I sit there in my office, looking out at you kids on the playground and I think, 'They don't know how good they got it. In a few years, they're all going to be grownups like me and all those good times will just be memories for them, too.' So go ahead. Put a whoopie-cushion in my chair. Cover my carpet with fake vomit. Make fun of my big, saggy butt. But don't you ever say I don't care about summer vacation, 'cause those memories are the last part of childhood I got left."''

* ''VideoGame/LapisReLights'' has Angelica of Sadistic☆Candy. Formerly known as "Ange", she was a ChildProdigy and TheBabyOfTheBunch of her old group, Ray, one of the best, most popular, and powerful witches in the world. Her main appeal was her "cute, pure, innocence" which she happily played up with a ruffled, fluffy, childish design for her stage outfit, a {{Catchphrase}} and VerbalTic specifically made to sound cute, and just generally acting like an adorable child. Then a horrific incident occurs, she finds herself emotionally unprepared to deal with it and freezes up, and later the group disbands for yet unknown reasons. Before the series proper, she goes through a ''very'' delayed puberty, drops the name Ange and claims she's a different person as Angelica, and is now known as a HugeSchoolGirl trying and failing to be "normal". This might be best demonstrated by her accidentally using her old catchphrase and people both assuming she's a PhraseCatcher and chiding her for using it as she's not ''nearly'' as cute and tiny as Ange was.

* The song "Music/PuffTheMagicDragon" ends with Jackie Paper growing up and abandoning his imaginary friend, leaving Puff all alone. The official book adaptation by the songwriters addresses the DownerEnding by the adult Jackie Paper introducing his daughter to the dragon. On ''Series/CaptainKangaroo'' the illustrations used to accompany this song included a big sign -- ''But Wait!!!'' -- at the very end, followed by a picture of a little cave boy knocking on the door of Puff's cave, and Puff embracing his new friend. Bob Keeshan was a genius.

* One of the most popular strips in ComicStrip/{{Zits}} has Jeremy's mom grabbing him, unzip his body to reveal his six-year-old self. Then they spend several panels doing whatever activities a six-year-old would do with his mother (but a teen wouldn't be caught dead doing) before going back in his body and zipping it back up. It's an unusual example in that the trope is being applied to the mom ''about'' the kid-- Jeremy has so far shown no nostalgia for his childhood.

Compare VirginPower, where possessing easily-lost innocence of a different sort grants supernormal abilities.

* One of the most famous examples is Music{{Menudo}}. In order to keep them appealing to young girls, they kept the band members young. They did this by putting a kill switch on all members' time in the band. Usually it was turning 16, but also getting too tall, beginning to shave, or having your voice change guaranteed you'd be bounced out of the band, no questions asked.

* One of the most famous examples is Menudo. In order to keep them appealing to young girls, they kept the band members young. They did this by putting a kill switch on all members' time in the band. Usually it was turning 16, but also getting too tall, beginning to shave, or having your voice change guaranteed you'd be bounced out of the band, no questions asked.

* ''Manga/LycheeLightClub'' is a very dark example of this trope. The club's disgust for the ugliness of humans goes to the point of resulting in their murdering a teacher (although in Zera's words, "We are not rejecting growth. What we reject is the fact that you haven't died.") But it gets worse, [[spoiler: Jaibo sabotages the club and eventually sets into motion the events that result in their destruction because he is afraid that since he is showing signs of becoming an adult, his voice breaking and his beard beginning to grow, Zera will no longer love him. It makes Jaibo a very crazy {{Bishounen}} and it may for the best that he never lives to grow up.]]

* In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, this is cited to be one of the in-universe reasons why certain Pokémon, particularly Dawn's Piplup and Snowy (Lillie's Vulpix), refuse to evolve (the other being {{Pride}}). In Piplup's case, he'd rather remain in his base stage permanently to preserve his memories of meeting Dawn. Pikachu and Bulbasaur want to prove their worth and strength without ever evolving, while Meowth hates his evolved form. Considering that it's common for Pokémon to completely change their personality upon evolving, it's justified why some of them don't want to change.

* Older ''MagicalGirl'' series seemed to imply that their adventures and fantastic powers were simply metaphors to give them the strength to become... [[StayInTheKitchen normal Japanese women and wives, who naturally shouldn't have powers greater than their husbands]] so they give them up. This seems to have created enormous cognitive dissonance, and some recent {{Magical Girl}}s avoid this angle. This ''would'', however, help explain some of the more questionable bits of ''Anime/MyOtome''... Notably inverted by [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Nanoha]] who, instead of giving up her powers and becoming a normal person, leaves the planet to become a legend. By the time of ''Force'' they had to take "Girl" out of the title since by that point she's a 25-year-old mother (via adoption) [[ActionMom and still on the front lines]]. The fact that she [[spoiler:has a relationship with an equally-powered ''woman'']] might be of influence. One older magical girl that [[DefiedTrope defied this]], made in response to the advancement of women in business and politics at the time, was ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'', whose power itself was to "grow up" into a competent career-woman and getting to do various amazing feats she couldn't do as a child, although the transformation was only temporary.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''- this is the major theme of the second season, if not the series.
* An episode of ''{{Series/Dinosaurs}}'' featured Robbie challenging his father for dominance. He discovered that adulthood came with a whole bunch of hassles, and his father agreed growing up wasn't worth it. The only thing that Earl considered worthwhile enough about adulthood to reclaim his mantle and responsibilities? Sex.
* One of the recurring minor themes of ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks''.
* In the ''Series/{{Undeclared}}'' episode "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs", Steven and his dad are talking. Steven asks why he needs a job, and Steven's father informs him that ''Growing Up Sucks''.
* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has a version of this, when Troy realizes that growing up means you're just as dumb as your younger self, but with more responsibilities.
** Both Troy and Abed devote extraordinary amounts of time and energy to subverting this trope. After building and entering a blanket fort:
--->'''Troy''': You thinking what I'm thinking?\\
'''Abed''': We're too big for this, aren't we?\\
'''Troy''': (disappointed) Yeah...\\
(beat)\\
'''Troy''': Bet if we went two pillows higher in the corner we could vault the ceiling, bump up the square footage. Make this a blanket fort for ''men''.
* Apply some FridgeLogic to ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' and you get this. Not too long after Tommy, Katherine, Tanya, and Adam graduate from high school, they pass the torch to T.J., Cassie, Ashley, and Carlos. The point was supposed to be, "You've done your duty, now go to better things." However, since they had the rug pulled out from under them pretty quickly by getting stripped of their powers, it made it look like turning 18 made them completely useless, a la Menudo.
* In ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQger,'' we have a partial example: imagination is the key to being able to see the Rainbow Line (the magical tracks the Rangers' train travels on) and resist the Shadow Line (the bad guys.) Naturally, cue the scenes of kids waving hello or goodbye to the Rangers while their parents have no idea of what they're seeing, or a child or group of children being the only ones not ensnared by the MonsterOfTheWeek's spell. However, there are children who don't have the imagination to see the Rangers' train come through due to bad things in their lives, and the [=ToQger=]s themselves are the ones with the most imagination, and they're teenagers [[spoiler:(or not)]]. So you have things only children can see because of an ''actual reason'' other than "it's a perk of childhood that magically, instantly switches off at a certain birthday," and that leads to there being a few kids who can't see it and a few adults who can.
* Epitomized in this monologue from ''Series/NightCourt'': "I don't know what's real anymore. When I was young, my mother told me Santa Claus was real. But when I got older... she told me he wasn't. One book says Jesus is real; one book says he isn't. We're living in the greatest country in the world... and we're murdering each other in the streets. What did they expect when they made us believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny then gave us the nuclear bomb to play with. Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle is a lie like all the rest, the astronauts killed the man in the moon, growing up took care of the rest." Made sadder because the speaker is a friend of Harry's dad Buddy-- and mentally ill (he spends most of the episode not talking at all).
* A recurring theme in ''Series/{{Spaced}}''; all the main characters are pretty immature and have difficulty accepting the fact that they're not kids anymore. Tim in particular seems to have something of a complex about it:
-->'''Tim:''' We've potentially destroyed her faith in today's youth!\\
''[Everyone looks at him skeptically]''\\
'''Tim:''' ''[Sheepish]'' Young adults.
* Played in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. Only one of the Russo kids (the one who's found to be the most experienced) will get to keep their magic when they reach adulthood. Has potential for ChekhovsGun when combined with "Wizards cannot marry non-wizards" - Justin or Alex are going to be (a) non-wizard(s).
** Everybody keeps talking about how Max stands no chance at being the family wizard, but Kelbo is the family wizard despite Jerry winning. See GenerationXerox and throw in the fact that the producers recognize the Jalex fandom and... well...
* ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' has this as a major theme. The main character Kouta used to be a member of a team of street dancers, but "retired" in order to get a real job and prove to his older sister that he can take care of himself. Unfortunately at first he's not up on the idea, and quickly falls back in with his old friends while using his Rider powers for personal gain. Things start to change after he almost gets killed by another Rider, which sees him go through a TenMinuteRetirement before recovering and finally acting more responsible.
* Will Byers in Season 3 of ''Series/StrangerThings''. While the other members of The Party are all focused on getting girlfriends and moving on into the next chapter of their lives, Will is annoyed by their romantic lives and wants to keep playing D&D in Mike's basement.
* ''Series/OddSquad'' as a general series zig-zags this trope. The organization is staffed exclusively by kids (whose ages range from infancy to age 12) who view adults as [[AdultsAreUseless useless at best and odd criminals at worst,]] and there is some semblance of {{Immortality}} at play with both Odd Squad Directors (who can live for millennia) and Oprah, as the Big O, having the ability to control her aging according to "Odd Beginnings: Part 2", aging up a few years before deciding that she doesn't like it. It was also revealed in an interview that Odd Squad agents are forced to leave the organization when they turn 13, a fact that is bolstered by such episodes as "Trading Places" where Olive is forced to turn in her badge due to her old partner aging her up 9 years with the aid of a gadget, so she's 21 instead of 12. Because of agents' collective mindset towards adults, it's safe to say that none of them want to grow up and believe that being an adult is worse than being a kid. At the same time, however, episodes like "The Potato Ultimato" treat growing up as a good thing, with Olive excitedly remarking how she's getting taller and being disappointed when she finds out that she isn't.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CBearAndJamal'': In "Big", Jamal turns 10 and decides that he's too old to bring C-Bear to school with him. In response, C-Bear invokes this trope by showing Jamal a vision of him as an adult -- working under a BadBoss (who turns out to be C-Bear over an intercom), then coming home to find himself married to his school principal (who [[AwfulWeddedLife demands that he do all of the household chores while she takes a nap]]). Adulthood might not mean complete freedom to do whatever you want, but it generally ''does'' mean having the freedom to refrain from marrying a complete {{Jerkass}}. Then again, C-Bear [[JustifiedTrope may have been somewhat biased]] after Jamal wanted to leave him behind.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Timmy will automatically lose Cosmo and Wanda -- and his memories of them -- when he reaches his eighteenth birthday... if he doesn't screw up before then. This adds a melancholic note to the series by underlining the fact that Timmy, while clearly loved by his godparents, is not unique but rather just one of a long list of godchildren they've cared for.
** Actually, one episode implies that he ''is'' unique. While Cosmo and Wanda have a hallway in their miniature castle dedicated to their past godchildren (good and bad each), they have a ''room'' dedicated to Timmy. One could also argue that they may do this for whatever child they're currently caring for, and Timmy will just become another single portrait in a hall.
** In the TrappedInTVLand movie, Timmy is shown to grow up to [[spoiler:be almost exactly like his cheerfully oblivious father, turning the care of his kids over to an insane, Vicky-esque robotic babysitter, though the memory wipe may be to blame for his failure to learn from his father's mistakes. On the bright side, guess who his children's godparents are?]]
** The LiveActionAdaptation trilogy of films, starting with ''Film/AFairlyOddMovieGrowUpTimmyTurner'', shows him deliberately [[ManChild continuing to act like a child]] and attending elementary school, despite now being [[DistantFinale in his early twenties]]. This is due to a LoopholeAbuse he had found, where people with a child-like heart are still allowed to keep their fairies.
** This becomes a plot point in "Timmy's Secret Wish". It's revealed that he secretly wished that he and everyone else would stop aging so he can keep his fairies forever...''fifty years ago''!
* This is the core and the major source of DramaticIrony in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor''. Especially ironic is the fact that not only do they grow up and out of their roles as KND operatives, they turn into the enemy (teenagers/adults). If they submit to the mandatory mind-wipe, their best possible future is to become harmless and lose their CompetenceZone pass - yet there's always the possibility they'll end up as villains anyway. [[spoiler:There are some exceptions, however, as seen in "Maurice" and in the finale, but regular Operatives don't know this.]] This will happen to EVERYONE, even the main characters. [[spoiler: Except for Numbuh One.]]
** Many children in the show consider this inevitability and decide to [[FaceHeelTurn betray them now rather than later]].
** In the GrandFinale, adulthood is stated to be a ''disease''. To hammer the point in even further, the adult versions of Sector V are portrayed as live-action actors rather than animated characters.
** However, some characters like [[spoiler: Numbuh One's dad, the former Numbuh Zero]], present the idea that growing up to be good parents to the current children is good and important enough for them to give up their adventures as KND operatives. Likewise, in the finale, the now-adult members of Sector V discover growing up is a lot better than they thought.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': If you hit puberty, you will apparently be forcibly evicted from [[CrapsaccharineWorld Smileyland]]. At the end of the episode, however, [[spoiler: Mr. Cat and Stumpy get superpowers due to puberty, and then [[StatusQuoIsGod lose them again]].]] This is also the focus of the episode "Let's Play Grown-Ups".
* Why [[spoiler: Mr. Cuddles the Teddy Bear]] becomes the Toy-Taker in ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeerAndTheIslandOfMisfitToys''.
* The premise for ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' is that Bloo, Mac's imaginary friend, can live there and won't be put up for adoption so long as Mac keeps his promise to keep visiting Bloo. In this case the sword hanging over Bloo's head is that, should Mac ever stop coming and/or grow out of needing an imaginary friend, Bloo will be given up for adoption. As fates go, this isn't especially cruel since adults can still see and visit their old imaginary friends (there's even a "class reunion" day for it!), but ''every'' adult has eventually put their imaginary friend up for adoption, and since imaginary friends live at least(?) as long as real people, they can end up seeing many different owners. The only exception is Madam Foster, owner and founder of Foster's Home.
** Though Madam Foster and Frankie both seem to believe that Mac may possess the qualities to stay with his imaginary friend forever as well.
** At least he won't dissolve into thin air once Mac gives him up, which is often used in series with premises like this.
** This trope was greatly summed up by Frankie at the end of "Squeeze the Day":
--->'''Frankie:''' I wish I could be you, Mac. No job, no responsibilities. You will never be a child again. Don't let it pass you by. All that matters is right here, right now. Take advantage of every precious moment. This is your time to do the most awesome of awesome things.
* The fifth season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' featured lots of this. Both Daria and Jane explicitly stated in "Prize Fighters" that they were growing up and as such, were worrying about things and doing things they never used to. "Is It College Yet", TheMovie which ended the series, also featured Daria, Jane, and some of the other cast members graduating and leaving for college, though they had a bright outlook for the future.
* In ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'', Dukey precisely says it verbatim while explaining pimples.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' really wants to make sure we're depressed about growing up judging by how ''[[{{Uncanceled}} both]]'' SeriesFinale address the issue. ''[[TheMovie So The Drama]]'' deals with [[ActionGirl Kim]] and [[{{Sidekick}} Ron]] growing up and apart. [[{{Sidekick}} Ron]] even starts to go into a monologue about how "Maybe I don't want to grow up". Their RelationshipUpgrade at the end makes for an optimistic upswing though. "Graduation" deals with... graduation, and the uncertainties of the future. While dealing with some rough patches there is still an optimistic ending plus positive points from the WordOfGod. The key theme of the GrandFinale is [[{{Sidekick}} Ron]] seeing graduation as "the end of the world". An AlienInvasion seems to back him up on this, but what he's really worried about is [[ActionGirl Kim]] shooting off into a glittering future and leaving him in the dust.
* ''Franchise/TheLoudHouse'':
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
*** In "[[Recap/TheLoudHouseS4E19SisterActHouseFlip Sister Act]]", [[PolarOppositeTwins Lola and Lana]] decide to [[TwinSwitch switch places]] to get out of doing things one twin dislikes but the other enjoys. For a while, it's just simple stuff, like Lana [[HatesBaths not wanting to take a bath]] and Lola not wanting to [[GymClassRopeClimb climb a rope for gym class]], but after a few days, they decide to switch places so the former can avoid a dentist appointment and the latter can avoid a doctor's appointment. [[DidntThinkThisThrough This backfires on both of them the next day]]: Lana ends up with [[TheToothHurts an abscessed tooth]], preventing her from enjoying a massive sundae she won in a recycling contest, and Lola [[SickEpisode comes down with a nasty case of the flu]], preventing her from competing in a pageant. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome These ailments wouldn't have gotten any worse had the twins gone to their respective appointments in the first place, because their medical professionals would've caught and treated the early warning signs of said ailments right away]]. When the twins fess up to their parents of what they did so their doctor and dentist don't lose their licenses for negligence, Rita and Lynn Sr. give them a big scolding, pointing out that they're not babies anymore and that part of growing up means having to sometimes do things that one doesn't necessarily like and/or want to do; it also means the twins have to attend the appointments they avoided so they can get healthy again, and the twins promise to go as themselves this time. After the fact, they find out that doing the stuff they don't really like has its perks.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Beast Boy has to let go of childhood in the SeriesFinale appropriately titled "Things Change".
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'':
** The episode "The Legend of Big Kid" had T.J. bonding with the Kindergarten kids. The rest of the main characters remind him that one year later they'll leave this life.
** Another episode ("Bonky Fever") has Mikey getting obsessed with a [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney]] {{Expy}} and regressing to kindergarten-like behavior so his mother can take care of him longer.
** Even [[{{DeanBitterman}} Principal Prickly]] has gone through something like this, albeit through [[{{HypnoFool}} hypnotism]]. The episode "The Hypnotist" has him spend most of the episode thinking he's a first grader and bonding with the Recess Gang. But when they have to bring him back to his normal adult state, Prickly gets scared and cries that he "doesn't wanna go back."
* On ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'', Clay explains adulthood to Orel:
-->'''Clay:''' Behaving like a grown-up is many things. First and foremost, it's doing things that you hate doing.\\
'''Orel:''' Like doing what Pop?\\
'''Clay: '''Like dealing with people who make you unhappy... being stressed about things you have no control over... and working soul numbing jobs.\\
'''Orel:''' Ooh\\
'''Clay:''' Then, gradually as we endure these hardships and accept them as normal, that's when we've finally earned the right to get drunk and be emotionally distant from our families.
** [[spoiler:This appears to be averted for Orel in the DistantFinale, as he seems to lead a much happier family life than he did as a kid. Plus Clay...isn't the best person to give advice about adulthood since how his childhood was less then ideal]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode, "[[Recap/RockosModernLifeS2E8Cruisin Cruisin]]'", Rocko gets stuck on a seniors' cruise with Hiram Wolfe, Heffer's grandfather who is always shown complaining and insulting him, usually calling him "[[IAmNotWeasel the beaver]]". At the end of the episode's first act, Rocko fumes about how bitter and misanthropic Hiram is. He then meets another elderly passenger who gives him a speech that reduces him to tears.
-->"You are going to be old one day, junior, if you're lucky, and then you too are gonna feel the heartbreak of a prune diet or lost memories... the pain and loneliness of losing a loved one. Maybe then you'll understand why old-timers aren't always the bright ray of sunshine you find yourself to be, eh, boy?"
* The ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Grandma's Kisses" deals with [=SpongeBob=] trying to lay it out to his Grandma that he's an adult and no longer needs kisses after an embarrassing public incident. He and Patrick go to Grandma's house to show her how manly they are with false sideburns. When Patrick starts getting spoiled by [=SpongeBob=]'s Grandma, she lures [=SpongeBob=] back to childhood by feeding him steamed coral while Patrick gets cookies, reading Patrick a kiddie book while [=SpongeBob=] is given a boring book on routine active maintenance, and breaking the straw by giving Patrick a sweater with loving in the stitches while [=SpongeBob=] gets office supplies... and they weren't even wrapped up. Eventually he breaks down crying that he doesn't want to grow up, but Grandma tells him that no matter how old he gets, she will always love him like she did when he was a baby.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** The show has "You're Getting Old", where Stan turns 10 and realizes how shitty things are progressively getting to the point of seeing and hearing nothing but shit, a disorder called by a doctor "Being a cynical asshole". [[spoiler: This leads to an end of his friendships and with his mother divorcing Randy after not being able to take his shenanigans anymore, moving away from South Park]]
*** [[spoiler: Humorously, [[StatusQuoIsGod Status Quo]] fixes everything by the next episodes end. Though Stan need a little "[[TheAlcoholic help]]" to get through the days now.]]
** "1%" also deals with this by having the entire class tell Cartman how he is immature and needs to grow up because his behavior is causing a negative effect on everyone else. [[spoiler: Cartman "kills" his dolls as a response, thinking he has to leave behind his childhood.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the season 8 episode "Molt Down", Spike goes through "the molt", which is something that all young dragons go through. While he doesn't grow to enormous size and go on a hoarding frenzy like in "Secret of My Excess", Spike does suffer through a host of embarrassing and painful symptoms, like [[RiseOfZitboy breaking out in a rash called "stone-scale"]], indigestion that causes him to uncontrollably belch huge gouts of fire, sudden changes in his speaking volume, and emitting a foul stench that tends to attract dangerous magical creatures, like [[GiantFlyer rocs]]. And according to Smolder, dragon parents tend to kick molting offspring out of the nest and force them to fend for themselves.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
** This trope is Mabel's character arc. Almost every episode she's in that involves dealing with the changes and responsibilities that come with getting older; In "Summerween", she laments that she and Dipper won't be able to go trick-or-treating someday, and "Boss Mabel" gives her a very good idea of what kind of challenge running a business entails. But the worst comes in "Dipper and Mabel Vs the Future", where's all of Mabel's naive expectations of high school life are shot down [[spoiler: leading her to inadvertently cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt when offered the chance to freeze time.]] "Weirdmageddon Part 2: Escape From Reality" has Dipper point out that the reason Mabel's such a GlurgeAddict is because escapism is how she's trying to deal with her fear of growing up.
** Inverted with Dipper, with his arc being centered around trying to grow up too fast. Several of his storylines involve him trying to act older than he is (his crush for a bulk of the series being a teenager a few years older than him not helping) or otherwise neglect his own childhood, to the point where he seriously considers taking up a chance to spend his whole life being devoted to studying the supernatural out in a secret lab in "Dipper and Mabel Vs the Future." It's not a case of NotGrowingUpSucks, as Dipper is mortal and ages normally; he essentially wants to skip to being an adult.
** "Soos and the Real Girl" has Soos retreat to a kiddie arcade to relax and ride a train simulator after getting stressed out over horribly botching every attempt at meeting a girlfriend he makes. He meets a lady named Melody who has the same mindset; their first date is at the local SuckECheeses. It goes pretty well, until [[AIIsACrapshoot .GIFfany]] [[StalkerWithACrush crashes their date]] and tries to MurderTheHypotenuse. By the end of the series, [[spoiler:he takes over the Mystery Shack and Melody moves to Gravity Falls to be with him, so growing up has its upsides]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'': Sabrina wishes to be older and uses a magic watch given to her by Salem to transport her into the future. She thinks it's great...until she realizes she has to pay bills and can't enjoy things she did as a kid due to getting funny looks. Though more importantly, she realizes she missed out on things like graduation and college before ultimately reversing the spell to grow up naturally and enjoy her childhood while she can. Making this more "Growing up too fast sucks".
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'':
** In "Spring Breakup", Roger turns the Smiths' home into a Spring Break resort. Stan is initially against it but eventually comes to like the party life and makes a friend in a college student. Eventually, the week passes, Francine (who was away on a trip) comes home and chastises Stan for allowing it and Stan's friend has to leave. He tries to follow her to keep the friendship going but ends up like a creepy stalker and interferes with her studies. However, the reason he does is that Francine never pays much attention to his stories anymore. And Francine's adopted mother even ''calls her out on this'', telling her that that's what a relationship needs to keep the spark going as they get older and Francine has been taking it for granted.
** Right after that episode is "1600 Candles". When Steve gets his first pubic hair, Stan and Francine immediately have PTSD flashbacks of Hayley's puberty and decide to use CIA formulas to meddle with his age. However, Francine uses it to keep Steve young just for a few months...and it backfires and turns him into a toddler. Stan gives him an overdose of the formula so that Steve will skip puberty and become 21...and ''it'' backfires and turns Steve into an old man. Then when they get a formula that will restore Steve to his proper age, he runs away after overhearing them talk about all the negatives of puberty and growing up. Finally, Steve is administered the antidote so he can do the one thing he wanted to do and prove he's ready for puberty: go to the dance with his girlfriend. But then a drunk Roger (who's jealous that Steve is getting all the attention on his birthday) ruins it by pantsing him in front of all the kids at the dance and revealing his single pubic hair, resulting in him getting grabbed by a group of bullies and given a swirly. Steve unknowingly gets the last laugh, however, [[LaserGuidedKarma when the pubic hair winds up landing on Roger's birthday cake]].
--->'''Roger:''' I hate Steve so much.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
** "The Kids" centered around Gumball and Darwin's voices cracking, [[RealLifeWritesThePlot caused by their voice actors reaching puberty themselves]], and facing the inevitability of growing up while everyone begins treating them differently. Just as they come to accept it and realize that adulthood has its perks, [[TheOtherDarrin their replacement voice actors]] take over and it becomes apparent that they're NotAllowedToGrowUp, [[NotGrowingUpSucks for better or worse]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOcM5degIRw Gumball and Darwin's song]] in "The Faith" is both of the "growing up sucks" and "life just sucks" varieties. In it, the brothers try to show Alan how to find the good in life. It starts off pessimistic, however, it ultimately becomes optimistic.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The episode "Fat Man and Little Boy" begins with Bart losing his last baby tooth and coming to terms with this trope. Not only does Marge give him a check instead of a dollar bill for his tooth, he notices his childlike imagination beginning to fade. Eventually, he gives his toys a viking funeral.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', it is technically legal (though frowned upon) for young witches to use multiple types of magic, but upon joining a coven as an adult they have all magic aside from their chosen field permanently sealed away. Although, 50 years of propaganda has convinced most of the population that this is actually a good thing.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatNorth'':
** In Season 1 "[[Recap/TheGreatNorthS1E8KeepBeeflievinAdventure Keep Beef-lievin' Adventure]]", Moon and Beef struggle with this during the episode. After getting bullied for still believing in Bigfoot, Moon gives up on "unrealistic" interests like cryptid-hunting. Beef tries to support him, but he also sings a musical number with his past [[ImaginaryFriend imaginary friends]] lamenting his own transition from childhood to "the grown-up zone" and is clearly sad to see his youngest child growing bitter.
** In Season 2 "[[Recap/TheGreatNorthS2E01BraceOffAdventure Brace/Off Adventure]]", Judy learns that adulthood isn't as great as she thinks it is when she learns from Mr. Golovkin that many adults have gone through many disappointments in their life through his song "Brace Yourself".
* Discussed in the ''WesternAnimation/PetAlien'' episode "The Boy Who Cried "Waaah!"" when Dinko finds Tommy's old baby pictures. Dinko is terrified of the idea of Tommy growing old, while Tommy himself isn't thrilled either but recognizes it as an important part of life. It eventually drives Dinko to try to stop Tommy from aging altogether.
-->'''Tommy:''' People are babies when they're born, Dinko. We're small and shriveled, then we grow bigger and stronger, before eventually growing small and shriveled again, only with a lot more nose and ear hair.\\
'''Dinko:''' ''[horrified JawDrop]'' You will grow old and hairy?! Oh... oh, we must prevent this at all costs!
[[/folder]]