Are we forced?

Having this conversation with a friend, a best friend indeed. Talking about how we all are now have our own responsibilities, saying "Good Bye" to our joyous childhood, times when we play hard and care about nothing (However, there are still some 'lucky' children who have to take care their own life, to survive, they are entitled the right to experience what older people go through, in their early age.)

She, my friend, said "We are now adult, but ironically, we are forced to be one"

Are we really forced to be one? I was thinking, agreed. But... When I put a little more thoughts on this issue, I cannot deny that to carry responsibilities when time comes is inevitable, but I would take it as a Privilege. Privilege to be Adult. Privilege to add one more candle in the birthday cake. Privilege to Learn more. Privilege to involve in the conversation where there is height limit considered. Privilege to be Wiser, if we go through it with the willingness to accept what comes around and learn, endlessly. This is when a person really is alive, I guess. As said "When we stop learning, we die." Kinda True, for me at least.

Childhood is undeniably Joyous. But that's only one of the phases in our life that we go through it to learn things, preparation for our longer journey in this world.

If the question is "Are we forced?"
Nobody can say "We are not".
But more reasonings will follow to make this forceful process an anticipated one, I suppose.

P.S. I will not dress as an adult and carry around my childhood's toys, but I will definitely stop, sometimes, to make merry the memories.