SOMEWHERE IN NEVERLAND

Never Grow Up

Growing up, my all time favorite movie was Peter Pan. I had birthday cakes that were Peter Pan themed, and I most certainly did not want to see Captain Hook on the trip my family took to Disney World when I was three. My parents also bribed me with the newest rendition of a Peter Pan movie when I was little so I would behave as the flower girl in one of their friends’ weddings.

You get the point, I was utterly infatuated with Peter Pan for no apparent reason growing up. I think maybe the character was something I related to and something I now idolize. My demeanor growing up was the polar opposite of what it is now, and my mom often jokes that I had my rebellious teenage years as a toddler. A lot of things happened in my life to cause that shift and as a result Peter Pan shifted from someone I related to, to someone that I idolize and wish I could be like again.

That somehow made it into me naming my column. I wanted something that I identified with and something that I felt like was a good representation of myself. Maybe I just indirectly chose that as the title because of how much I miss that side of myself, or maybe it’s just because it was a way for me to reminisce on my childhood. Who knows.

My fascination with Peter Pan was only half the reason for the name of my column. Over the summer, I scoured my playlists for various song names that could possibly be the moniker for this column. I had a few from assorted artists like Florence + The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. Until I finally landed on one from another one of my favorite artists, All Time Low.

Their song “Somewhere in Neverland,” obviously, became the song that this column was titled after. I felt like the song was a fitting way for me to pay homage to my childhood obsession, and also act as a reminder to try to be more like Peter Pan, get back to how I was when I was younger, and to never grow up

Editor’s Pick: “Somewhere in Neverland” by All Time Low