Admit it, as a college-aged, young adult there has been a point in time when you said to yourself "Look! I'm adulting!".
Ah yes "adulting". What us kids call any activity or event that we picture as being synonymous with adult-hood or being an adult. I know I have said that above statement to myself multiple times. As I am taking on responsibilities I haven't done before I cannot help but feel more "adultish". Yet, at most times I still feel like a five-year-old kid who still needs to rely on their parents for everything. For instance, in the classroom I volunteer in, the teacher introduced me to her students as an adult. I could not help but say "I'm an adult". Being this age feels more like the awkward transition where you are no longer a child but you are still far from being a full-grown adult. But, there are these moments, these beautiful "adulting" moments, where you sit back and say, "Hmm, maybe I am more of an adult than I thought". What are some examples of these moments you ask? I have taken the liberty to write out some of the most "adulting" moments we as young adults have experienced. Odds are, if you have been through some of these experiences, you probably had an "I'm an adult now!" moment too.
Example Number One: Going Grocery Shopping on Your Own
Whether you are shopping for your parents to help them out, or shopping for yourself, grocery shopping always feels like an adult thing to do. There is no more "Mom, can we get this?" or "Dad, can we add this to list?". You have the shopping cart and you are calling the shots. Also, shopping on your own? You need to learn where everything in the store is because you can no longer follow your parents around aimlessly. Also, it is no fun having to run back and forth across the store because you did not know an item was on the other side.
Example Number Two: Scheduling an Appointment for Yourself
There is something about calling the doctor or the dentist without your parents that feels so adultish. Maybe it is because you don't have to wait for a time where your parents to drive you to the appointment. or maybe it is because the appointment it built around when you want/have to go. The appointment does no go into your parent's calendar, it goes into yours. Your parents will not remind you, it is all up to you to remember.
Example Number Three: You No Longer Have to Sit at the Kid's Table
I remember one Thanksgiving where I, being the youngest one there, sat at a coffee table placed next to the normal table all by myself because there was not enough room at the table. It was a kid's table for one. Flash forward to my sister's wedding where not only was I sitting at the head table around all of sister's older friends, but I was also offered wine multiple times by the servers because they thought I was old enough. If that does not make you feel grown up, I don't know what will.
Example Number Four: Calling Your Credit Card Company or Bank
*Shout out to my roommate for this lovely example* The other day my roommate had some weird charge on her card that was not hers and she had to call the bank. She had to explain everything that happened and give the bank a bunch of information. Something that she had to do because the card was in her name. Not her parents'. Now that we have our own cards, we are responsible for calling the bank and once again, something about it just feels so "adultish".
Example Number Five: Buying Your Own Necessities
When I was still living at home, my parents would buy things such as tooth brushes, soap, or shampoo. Now that I am in college, when I run out my contact solution I can no longer just go downstairs to may mom's stash of solution. Nope, now I have to go to the store when it starts to get low so I can make sure and have some for the next time I need to take my contacts out. I can no longer rely on my parents for basic supplies anymore. It is all up to restock.
Example Number Six: Doing Your Own Laundry
I already knew how to do laundry before coming to school but some people honestly do not know how. There is something in trying to get stains out or deciding what should be air-dried or what outfits belong in which color load that makes us feel more responsible.
Example Number Seven: Making a Meal That's Not Toast, Ramen, or Cereal
Most people have the ability to pour cereal into a bowl and top it off with milk. However, making an actual sit down meal with side dishes? I feel like an adult. Say goodbye to PB&J's and hello to spaghetti and meatballs!
Example Number Eight: Turning Down a Social Gathering To Stay in and Sleep
When you are younger, you yearn for the chance to got out and hang out with your friends. You stay up until 3 AM just talking and having a good old time. It is the moment when you turn down hanging out with friends so that you can get a good night's sleep when you realize you are taking responsibility for your own well-being. And maybe, just maybe, that decision you decided to make about staying in to take care of yourself feels a little bit more "adultish" than going out.
Example Number Nine: Getting a Full-Time Job
During the school year, a lot of us are full time students. But what about when we go home for the summer? Do we spend our free time at the beach every day having picnics? Or should we probably get a full-time job or at least a part-time job that can help us pay for college and other expenses? If you picked the latter, odds are you are thinking more like an adult, and you know it too.
Example Number Ten: Graduating College
Now this I cannot relate to from my own personal experience as I still have 2.5 years to go. However, I do know from others that feeling of, "I'm done with school, now what?" You are no longer a student, although some may be going to get their Masters or PHD, and you finally have to enter the reality of the world. Welcome to adulthood!
You know what? Adulthood may seem scary to some of us. But we are a bright, determine and hardworking generation. So, "adulting"?
