Growing up can be a pain. What once was a life filled with carefree joy has turned into a desolate wasteland. Traps and tricks await you around every corner. You must learn to put away your inner child and become a bored, mindless drone. You might have to feed off the happiness of pets and put effort into hobbies.

Nights are ever so long and days, well days seem to never end until you don’t want them to. And sleep? Don’t even think about that fleeting whisper of relief from your dreary life. At the end of the day, you have to realize that hopefully the sweet kiss of death will release you from this ever-churning mill of monotony. But all that said, here are five reasons why being an adult is actually pure enjoyment.

1. You can make your own decisions.

No more of Mom telling you when to sleep or what time to come home. You can stay up late and dance the night away if you want. Want to eat a whole tub of ice cream and wash it down with pickle juice? Go ahead! (Although it’s strongly recommended you don’t.) You get to make your own decisions concerning your life, whether it ends in happiness or hell. So be happy you have that freedom.

2. You can vote.

It may not be a big deal to some, but voting is one of the most important things a citizen can do. Voting for all representatives (not just the president) will help ensure that you can live your life as you see fit.

3. You can legally drink.

You can drink! What more is there to say? Just make sure you neither die nor kill yourself/others. That’d be messed up.

4. You’ll have your own place.

Other than the whole bills mess, getting your own place is a ceremonial rite of sorts. You now have something of your own that you can decorate and invite people over to. Please, please, please don’t invite anyone over if your home is a damn mess. That’s sad and nasty. Don’t be sad and nasty. That’s not a good mix.

5. You can be you.

You no longer have to answer to anyone other than yourself, the people you pay bills to and your boss. Other than that do whatever you want however you want to. The world is your oyster and it’s up to you to take advantage of all opportunities.

Other than a snafu (or two… or 10) life as an adult is great, until you think about how horrible it really is. So pretend everything is OK, manage your time and money wisely and just have fun. Although tomorrow isn’t promised, there’s no reason for you not to enjoy your life today and well into adulthood. Just stay positive, block out all the unhappy thoughts and keep all negative emotions bottled up like a good adult should.