Growing Up Hurts: Why Older by Sasha Alex Sloan Is Your Wake-Up Call

Teenagers, brace yourselves. You’ve been sold a lie.

Your parents? Not superheroes. Your childhood? Probably not as perfect as you thought. Your idea of love? Yeah, that’s skewed too. Sasha Alex Sloan’s song “Older” is a sonic slap in the face, forcing you to confront these uncomfortable truths. And guess what? That’s exactly why you need it.

The Perfect Parent Myth

Let’s start with the most painful part: your parents are human. I know, shocking. They screw up. They fight. They make you feel things they probably don’t even realize.

In “Older,” Sloan sings about shutting her door to drown out her parents’ fights. Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve been there, headphones on, pretending the yelling downstairs isn’t shaking your entire sense of safety. You might have even promised yourself, “I’ll never be like them.”

Spoiler alert: you probably will.

But here’s the raw truth: your parents aren’t villains. They’re not perfect, but they’re not monsters either. They’re just people—flawed, struggling, and doing the best they can with whatever baggage they’ve been dragging around since their teenage years.

This song isn’t here to tell you to forgive them. It’s here to make you see them for what they are: humans who mess up, just like you will.

Love Isn’t a Disney Movie

Sasha Alex Sloan isn’t just dragging parents in “Older”; she’s coming for your idea of love, too.

“Loving is hard, it don’t always work.” Read that again. Slowly.

You’ve been brainwashed into thinking love is supposed to be magical and easy. Rom-coms, fairy tales, and Instagram couples have convinced you that love means happily ever after. But here’s the truth Sloan spits in your face: love is hard. It’s messy. It’s work. And sometimes, it doesn’t work at all.

Think about your parents’ relationship. Maybe they stayed together but are miserable. Maybe they split up. Either way, it probably left you confused, angry, or disillusioned. Sloan’s song rips the bandage off and forces you to confront a harsh reality: love isn’t enough. Compatibility, communication, and effort matter more.

The older you get, the more you’ll realize that love isn’t a feeling—it’s a choice. And some people, no matter how much they care, aren’t equipped to make that choice in a way that works.

Your Childhood Scars Are Showing

Let’s get personal. If you grew up in a chaotic household, you probably learned some toxic survival skills. Maybe you shut people out. Maybe you overachieve to prove you’re worth something. Maybe you cling to relationships even when they’re bad for you because you’re terrified of being alone.

Sound harsh? Good. Because ignoring these patterns is how you become the very thing you swore you’d never be.

Sloan’s lyrics, “I swore I’d never be like them, but I was just a kid back then,” hit like a punch to the gut. She’s saying, Hey, you’re not doomed to repeat the cycle, but pretending you’re unaffected isn’t going to save you.

Your parents’ mistakes don’t define you, but they shape you. The only way to break free is to confront them head-on.

Growing Up Hurts—And That’s the Point

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The most brutal part of “Older”? It’s not just about your parents or love. It’s about growing up and realizing life is infinitely messier than you thought.

When you’re a kid, you think adults have it all figured out. Then you hit your teens and realize they don’t. Suddenly, you’re forced to reckon with the fact that no one really knows what they’re doing—not your parents, not your teachers, not even you.

This realization hurts. It’s disorienting. But it’s also liberating. Because once you stop expecting perfection, you can start building something real—something better.

It’s Okay to Be Angry—But Do Something About It

Sasha Alex Sloan’s “Older” doesn’t just leave you wallowing in your feelings. It’s a call to action. Be mad if you need to. Cry about your screwed-up childhood. But then do the hard work of breaking the cycle.

You don’t have to be like your parents. You don’t have to repeat their mistakes. But you do have to face the fact that you’re just as flawed as they are.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the older you get, the more you’ll understand why your parents made the choices they did. That understanding won’t excuse their mistakes, but it will give you the power to stop those mistakes from defining your future.

So, what are you going to do about it?

• Stop romanticizing your childhood. It wasn’t perfect, and that’s okay.
• Let go of the idea that love is supposed to fix everything. It won’t.
• Confront your own baggage before you pass it on to someone else.
• Stop living for validation. Your worth isn’t tied to anyone else’s approval.
• Learn to forgive, but don’t excuse. Forgiveness is for your peace, not theirs.
• Start questioning everything. Don’t blindly follow the script handed to you.
• Focus on emotional intelligence. Learn to navigate feelings and build real connections.
• Stop waiting for rescue. No one is coming to save you—take control of your life.
• Acknowledge the complexity of love. It’s not perfect or easy, but it’s worth understanding.
• Create boundaries—even with family. Love doesn’t mean tolerating toxicity.
• Prioritize healing over hustling. You can’t outwork your pain; you need to face it.
• Stop idolizing independence. True strength is knowing when to connect and lean on others.
• Redefine success. Align your life with what truly matters to you, not societal expectations.

Because in the end, the older you get, the more you’ll realize this: life doesn’t get easier. You just get better at handling it.

And that, my friends, is the brutal, raw truth Sasha Alex Sloan’s “Older” is trying to teach you.