History Main / NotGrowingUpSucks

* The modern-age Superboy was afflicted with this; a disease that affected only clones was killing him, and the only way Cadmus's scientists could stop it was to halt his aging at 16 years old. After they cured the disease, they couldn't find the aging genome to turn it back on until some time later, during the YoungJustice CrisisCrossover "Sins of Youth," when the spell that aged the rest of his teammates to adults started tearing him apart at the genetic level. Cadmus reactivated Superboy's aging, only to have him [[BroughtDownToNormal lose all his powers]] when the aging spell was lifted. Superboy just could not catch a break back in the day.

* MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha gives us Vita, starting in A's. Though it doesn't often come up in the main series, [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials]] indicate she isn't happy about it. StrikerS's supplementals suggest this may eventually change. Or maybe not.

* Many autistic kids have to face this. While they would seem not to mind, their parents often want them to grow up.
** Usually only low-functioning, non-verbal autistic kids (which make up less than 10% of all diagnoses) have this issue. Those with higher-functioning autism and those with Asperger's syndrome can, and very often do, function as adults without insurmountable problems, and usually appear to be [[WiseBeyondTheirYears much more mature than their peers]]. When they can't, it's usually a case of MyBelovedSmother and/or MeddlingParents, though this is rare.
*** Which is pretty much showcased when looking at [[{{Sonichu}} Christian Weston Chandler]]. When he was diagnosed with autism his parents refused to give him the help and learning support he needed and his mother effectively coddled him and said he was perfect. Because of this he is free to hide in his room without a job, playing with toys and living in his fantasy world at nearly 30 years old.
*** [[{{Understatement}} Uh]] [[UnfortunateImplications oh.]]

* One album of the Belgium comic book series {{Urbanus}} featured a sorceres who was cursed by her master/mentor to remain a child forever because she mentally did mature and now wants a steady relationship, but because of her body still being that of a child she can't get one.

* ''Presents'' stars a girl named Kurumi, who after falling asleep at the table on her birthday one night, without receiving presents from her classmates or parents, found herself suddenly far away from home, and unable to age past 10. Now she's an old woman in a child's body, who searches for her missing birthday present... and, along the way, gives people the presents they deserve. If you're a genuinely good person, you might get your heart's desire ([[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor though it might not be quite what you expected]]) or what you need. (whether or not you actually want it) If you're cruel, thoughtless, greedy, selfish, or otherwise a bad person, it generally results in a gruesome example of LaserGuidedKarma. Other times, instead of giving presents, she'll watch what ensues from presents others give, or try (and usually fail) to warn people away from the gruesome fate their habits regarding presents will lead to.

* Does Suzie Salmon in ''The Lovely Bones'' count? She's in Heaven so she can have anything she wants, except her life back. Her angst over this drives most of the book.

Some (well, many) kids think GrowingUpSucks. Then there's this. It turns out ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty is only true for a lucky few, because due to some form of {{Phlebotinum}}, this child can never grow up. They are forever frozen in their preteens or early teens. If still organic and biologically alive, they will never mature enough to even seem ''close'' to becoming LegalJailbait to the opposite (or same) gender. Interestingly, their intellect will very likely keep growing throughout their lifetime, but their emotional maturity may or may not undergo a similar growth. They may [[ImmortalImmaturity forever throw tantrums and sulk]], or they may well develop an [[OlderThanTheyLook adult mindset]] or even go [[TimeAbyss beyond it]]. In any case, expect this thwarted love life to cause them a great deal of frustration if not outright {{Wangst}}.

Of course from a [[{{Squick}} strictly engineering point of view]], there's no reason that a 300 year old stuck in a 13 year old's body cannot have sex. Oral, anal, sex-toy and finger related practices are all still available. It's also unclear exactly how [[http://www.the-clitoris.com/n_html/female_masturbation.htm#fetal early]] orgasm is possible. Any depiction of this is of course extremely unaceptable to modern western society, because most people [[YouFailBiologyForever choose to believe the exact opposite]].

* There was a MonsterOfTheWeek on ''{{Moonlight}}'' who was a vamp stuck in puberty for a hundred years.

* ''{{Moonlight}}'' featured a 200-year-old teenage vampire, trapped forever as a teenager, who's been channelling his rage into killing prostitutes.

* ''{{Moonlight}}'' featured a 200-year-old teenage vampire, trapped forever as a teenager, who's been channelling his rage into killing prostitutes.

* BuffyTheVampireSlayer briefly featured a child vampire known as The Anointed One.

* In the first anime version of ''[[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', Alphonse Elric is 14 years old, yet has the voice and mentality of a nine year old.

[[quoteright:350:[[LetTheRightOneIn http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/let_right_one_in.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Eli will never get to grow up EVER!]]]]

Of course from a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Squick strictly engineering point of view]], there's no reason that a 300 year old stuck in a 13 year old's body cannot have sex. Oral, anal, sex-toy and finger related practices are all still available. It's also unclear exactly how [[http://www.the-clitoris.com/n_html/female_masturbation.htm#fetal early]] orgasm is possible. Any depiction of this is of course extremely unaceptable to modern western society, because most people [[YouFailBiologyForever choose to believe the exact opposite]].

* From what I've read, the boy in ''The Tin Drum''.

[[LetTheRightOneIn http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/let_right_one_in.jpg]]
[[caption-width:350:[[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Eli will never get to grow up EVER!]]]]

Of course from a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Squick strictly engineering point of view]], there's no reason that a 300 year old stuck in a 13 year old's body cannot have sex. Oral, anal, sex-toy and finger related practices are all still available. It's also unclear exactly how [[eaerly http://www.the-clitoris.com/n_html/female_masturbation.htm#fetal]] orgasm is possible. Any depiction of this is of course extremely unaceptable to modern western society, because most people [[YouFailBiologyForever choose to believe the exact opposite]].

Of course from a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Squick strictly engineering point of view]], there's no reason that a 300 year old stuck in a 13 year old's body cannot have sex. Oral, anal, sex-toy and finger related practices are all still available. It's also unclear exactly how [[http://www.the-clitoris.com/n_html/female_masturbation.htm#fetal]] orgasm is possible. Any depiction of this is of course extremely unaceptable to modern western society, because most people [[YouFailBiologyForever choose to believe the exact opposite]].

Of course from a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Squick strictly engineering point of view]], there's no reason that a 300 year old stuck in a 13 year old's body cannot have sex. Oral, anal, sex-toy and finger related practices are all still available. It's also unclear exactly how [[http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/23723 early in life]] orgasm is possible. Any depiction of this is of course extremely unaceptable to modern western society, because most people [[YouFailBiologyForever choose to believe the exact opposite]].