This is a lovely film, especially the sequences that mimic a stop animation with paper cutouts. Maybe a little heavy-handed in its fear of adulthood, but it means well.
Growing up isn’t the problem it’s forgetting.
As an inveterate planner in my current job, I must admit that I was impressed with the big board that Mom made for tracking her daughter’s summer of achievement. However, her mistake was not in planning out the current summer, but in scheming for the next summer.
Maybe the problem is planning.
Planning and forgetting are synonymous with avoiding the present. It’s important to have an idea for the next couple of days, but peering beyond the haze is a futile task. Even worse than wasting time, you’re overlooking the richness right in front of you.
Give yourself room.
Mom’s other mistake was not planning slack in her schedule. Along with indulging the farce that one can divine what’s around the corner, having no fluff time is a recipe for overlooking the important.
Don’t plan too far, give yourself time to smell the roses, and maybe growing up won’t be so bad after all.