It seems like yesterday your mom and dad were teaching you how to ride a bike and to spell. Now you're older and wiser and have much bigger problems than a skinned knee. Growing up and into your own person can make the relationship with your parents tense. Figuring out their role in your adult life is hard, not only on you but them as well.
These 10 situations are milestones everyone will have to face in their struggle to figure out their relationship with their parents.
Being comfortable cursing in front of them.
The first time the F-word slips out in front of your parent might feel like the end of the world, but it will happen more and more often and start to feel somewhat normal. Cursing is the start of having adult conversations with your family.
Your parents cursing in front of you.
This will feel even weirder but is a sign they feel comfortable with you as well. If your parent is OK cursing with you around, it means they're beginning to recognize you as an adult.
Missing a major holiday.
It happens, as sad as it is. Things such as moving across the country, a demanding job, or just the ridiculously high price of plane tickets might keep you away during the holidays. One for the biggest pills to swallow is that sometimes you have to prioritize your future over your past.
Making a life decision without them.
OK maybe not completely without them, but at the end of the day, accepting a new job or moving won't be their decision, but yours.
You're completely financially independent.
While it may take until your late twenties for this to be absolutely true, one day your parents won't be paying any of your bills. The last bit of authority they could hold over you is gone, and they will have to learn to respect your decisions if they like them or not.
Days passing without a phone call.
As a kid, you would be forced to see your parents every day, mainly because you lived with them. Once you're on your own and maybe in a whole different city, communication can wane. This goes along with the fact that they no longer have to make your decisions for you. To keep close with your parents you'll have to make an effort, which will only make the relationships stronger.
Spending a holiday with a SO instead of your parents.
You'll reach a stage in a romantic relationship where you start doing things as a unit with your SO, including celebrating holidays. If you're fair to your partner, you'll have to sacrifice time with your own family so they can spend time with theirs. As unimaginable as it feels to not spend Christmas or Thanksgiving with your parents, it's a change that is just part of growing up.
You buy them a drink.
Maybe they had slipped you a few beers underage (no judge), but the first time it's you the one making the purchase will not only show that you are at least 21, but also you have taken on some of the responsibilities they once had.
You both recognize sex exists and it happens.
While there may never be a point where you fully dissect your sex life with your parents, the act of sex itself will no longer be a taboo subject. A time will come where you're watching "Game of Thrones" with your parents and two characters get it on, and no one will lunge to change the channel. It'll just be another scene.
Learning the family secrets.
This might be the funnest part of growing up. All of the dark, juicy skeletons which were kept from your naive mind will be released from the family's closest. You may never look at your one aunt the same way after you learn that secret.
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