Legally you become an adult at the age of 18. You can get married, get a tattoo, and even gamble at Winstar. However, in no way, shape, or form did I feel like an adult as a high school senior, but now at the ripe age of 19 I can feel adulthood slowly creeping up behind me. As I got to thinking about it, these were the 5 signs that showed me that I am indeed becoming an adult.
1. You budget. I am so fortunate that my parents still support me financially, however, to have extra spending money for eating out and shopping, I have to work a summer job. I have noticed that I have become more cautious with my spending habits when it’s my own money that I’m spending. Over the course of freshman year, I had to learn that sometimes your next meal is a little more important than a cute pair of shoes.
2. You attend family and holiday events with your significant other. It’s pretty cool knowing that your families take your relationship seriously, and it also makes you feel incredibly old. My boyfriend is invited to all of our family birthday parties and dinners, and I have been on two vacations with his family. Now I also get to enjoy two thanksgiving feasts, one with my family and one with his.
3. You can have different beliefs than your best friends, but still remain super close. This is a huge one for me. In high school, if my friends had different views than me about religion or politics, I would just agree with them because I thought that was the only way maintain a good relationship. Now I can have conversations with my best friends about these tough subjects knowing that our different opinions won’t affect our friendship, as long as we can be mature and respectful about it.
4. You get extremely excited about your major and future career. My major is elementary education, and I swear my most searched topics on Pinterest are “outfits for teachers” and “classroom ideas.” When my professors talk about taking the Oklahoma General Education Test, I actually get excited and I even look forward to going to my classes that relate to my major. As fun as college is, it’s awesome knowing that I’m pursuing a career that makes me look forward to life after graduation.
5. You can (somewhat) manage living on your own. My first year away from home was a huge adjustment. I’ll admit, I was pretty spoiled at home. My mom did my laundry every weekend and packed my lunch everyday. The first time I had to do laundry in my dorm, I had to call mother dearest and have her walk me through washing a load of T-shirts step-by-step. Although, I still find myself letting my hamper pile up and living off Lunchables on busy test weeks, on a daily basis I’ve become pretty good at taking care of myself without the help of my parents.
