McKoy: Hi, you’re listening to the fourth episode of Coffee with Clara. I’m your host, Clara McKoy, and today I’m chatting with freshman Isaac Broderius about his thoughts on childhood and growing up. Enjoy the episode.

To start, can you say your name, grade, pronouns, and what you’re drinking?

Broderius: I’m Isaac, in ninth grade. My pronouns are he/him, I’m drinking a medium hot chocolate.

McKoy: And I’m drinking an iced vanilla matcha.

Broderius: I’m 15. Right now, in the winter, I’m doing Nordic skiing for SPA, then I’ll be starting track in the spring and I’m kind of thinking about doing Ultimate Frisbee.

McKoy: Oh, cool. How often do you think about the concept of growing up?

Broderius: I think about it … like one example was finals before winter break. High school is starting to feel more real. I’m not thinking about it too much right now. I think I will start soon.

McKoy: Yeah. How would you … if you had to define growing up, what would you say the definition is?

Broderius: I think it’s not as much age, but more maturity. So, if something happens to you can be, really mature and really grown up while you’re younger. And some might consider you grown up.

McKoy: Yeah. What types of experiences would you say make you maybe grow up faster or grow up slower?

Broderius: Maybe some sort of trauma or something when you’re younger?

McKoy: Yeah. That makes sense. What emotions do you associate with growing up? Or what do you feel when you think about it?

Broderius: I kinda think about like, losing some stuff. I feel like you don’t have as much freedom, but you also gain freedom.

McKoy: I do feel like a lot of people think about growing up as a loss of something, which is really interesting, because I would argue that like—I mean, and I’m definitely one of those people that think about it as like—“Oh, I’m losing my childhood, I’m losing my innocence in a way, I’m losing my oblivion. But I also feel like there are a lot of things that you’re gaining as you’re growing up. So, what are your thoughts on that? Like, do you think you’ve gained things when you’re growing up? And if so, what would those things be?

Broderius: Yeah, you gain physical things such as being able to drive and stuff. But you also gain a greater overall sense of things.

McKoy: In the context of your own life, what ways would you say you’ve already grown up and what are areas where you see yourself growing up in the near future or maybe that you’re in the process of switching from childhood to a more grown-up version of those things?

Broderius: One thing that I’m kind of in the process of growing up right now … I never really thought about grades, really, even this first semester too. And then I did better than I expected on the finals, so I was kind of like, I don’t want to lose this. So I have to lock in for this semester.

McKoy: Did you go to SPA for middle school?

Broderius: Mhm, but not elementary school. I started in sixth grade.

McKoy: Got it. What was that transition like from middle school to high school?

Broderius: Not as bad as I thought. It’s not too different.

McKoy: What other areas of your life would you say are in a transition period?

Broderius: Well I haven’t started anything about driving yet, even though I could start. I think once I start driving that opens up so much more.

McKoy: Say more about that. What are you excited about for when you get your license?

Broderius: Well I can just go places whenever I want. I’ve kind of been putting it off because of the whole 30 hours.

McKoy: Yeah. How would you describe the difference between growing up and actually legally becoming an adult? Do you think they’re the same thing or do you think that they are different?

Broderius: I think that they go hand in hand, it’s just how it works. You grow up, you get more mature. But like I was saying before, it can happen at different rates for different people.
McKoy: At what rate would you say it’s happening for you?

Broderius: For me, it definitely hasn’t hit me as much as it has other people in my grade.

McKoy: What are ways that you see yourself taking control of your own autonomy and agency in the near future, or that you’re already doing?

Broderius: I’ve always kept stuff to myself or worked on things myself and so I don’t think that will be changing really.

McKoy: Tell me more about that.

Broderius: Like obviously I ask for help and stuff when I need it. But ever since distance learning … I don’t know how to explain it.

McKoy: No I see what you’re saying … I mean with COVID, obviously it affected all of us in so many ways and it was personal to everyone how that specifically affected us … but being isolated are you saying has had a lasting impact on your independence level?

Broderius: Mhm.

McKoy: Talk to me about your relationship to nostalgia, and looking back on your childhood. How often do you kind of reminisce on past memories or past experiences from when you were little?

Broderius: Usually if something comes up that reminds me of a time when I was little, or usually when I’m with my sister—she’s in seventh grade—and she kind is still thinking about a lot of those things. Something could be an item—like I just redid my room a little. And so I found all this old stuff that had a lot of memories.

McKoy: Oh cool, what type of items did you find?

Broderius: Just random art projects, and I had this huge bulletin board that had a bunch of old art projects and stuff on it, and I could remember each individual memory that was with it.

McKoy: Yeah, What did you do with them?

Broderius: I hope we still have them. I think my mom kept them in a box. I like to think back on memories and stuff, but those are in the past.

McKoy: You mentioned your sister before, tell me more about her.

Broderius: She goes to SPA, she’s in seventh grade.

McKoy: What’s your relationship with her like?

Broderius: Well we used to be really really close when we were littler, but I’m in ninth grade and she’s in seventh grade. Like at home, I don’t see her that much because I’m doing homework, she’s doing stuff.

McKoy: Yeah, that makes sense. Do you have any other siblings?

Broderius: [Shaking head no]

Mckoy: Ok. Yeah, it’s interesting how you said—what did you say before?
Broderius: She always the one that’s like, “Do you remember when this happened?”

McKoy: So she kind of makes you think about the past more than you would just on your own. And do you think that’s because she’s younger than you or do you think it would be the same if she were the same age or older?

Broderuis: I think it’s because she’s younger than me. It’s like closer to where she is now. Or maybe she is just a nostalgic person.

McKoy: Yeah. That’s an interesting thing to think about—like what impacts how often we think about the past and how often we like to reminisce. How often do you think about the future?

Broderius: I don’t think about the far future too much.

McKoy: What’s your favorite memory? Just in general. I know that’s a really big question, or a favorite a favorite memory. What’s a memory that you look back on fondly? Tell me about it.

Broderius: Every winter break since I’ve been really young, we’ve gone to Florida with my mom’s side of the family. And it’s me and all my cousins there. One’s a year younger and one’s a year older. We still are pretty close while we’re there, but we used to always hang out and play hide and seek all the time. But now one’s almost 17 and one’s 14.

McKoy: Cool. Well, thank you so much for coming on. It was awesome talking to you.

Thank you for listening to Coffee with Clara. Looking for more? Check out the first three episodes with Atari Ernst, Violet Benson, and Mehmet Arey. Stay tuned for next month’s episode.