Childhood vs. Quarterlife Crisis

With the opening of Where the Wild Things Are movie quickly approaching, I have been reading a lot of interviews with Spike Lee and Maurice Sendak. The main theme of their interviews seems to be how scary and difficult it is to be a child.

Direct quotes from Sendak:
"There is a toughness to being a child. Childhood is a very tough time. I always had a deep respect for children and how they solve complex problems by themselves."

and Jonze:
"Emotions that other people have are unpredictable and confusing; emotions you have that are unpredictable and confusing. That’s scary, and so I wanted to make a movie that felt like that—that felt like being in the head of somebody at that age of their life. Things feel out of control."

This may be a reflection on my carefree childhood, but I really couldn't disagree more about what they are saying about being a kid. Maybe I was spoiled as a child - I don't remember feeling scared. I remember feeling happy and safe. I knew what was coming next - elementary school, middle school, high school, and then college. There was spontaneity, but for the most part things were predictable, and it was comforting.

The quotes about child that Sendak and Jonze say fit more closely to how I am feeling now as a young adult in my early twenties. I don't have a family with me at all times, and for the most part I solve all of my complex problems by myself. Right now, emotions that other people have are predictable and confusing - so confusing! It is very scary and often things feel out of control.

Young adults are very volatile people. It's hard to count on us because often times we don't know what we want and when we do know that we want it can change in a moment's notice.

So what is going on here? Was I just a privileged child with no real worries? Am I a spoiled young adult now crying, "Boo hoo being a young adult with my whole life ahead of me is just sooo hard!" Is the reason why Where the Wild Things Are is getting so heavily marketed because they know that all of us quarter-life crisis shoppers feel like little confused children inside?

What do you think??