When we were kids, we looked forward to being adults our whole life. Not having to listen to our parents and living on our own made the idea of adulthood seem so glamorous. I never thought much about what it meant to be a kid because I was always wanted to be older. So what does it actually mean to be an adult?
It means you pay all your bills. Hello, $120 cellphone bill, didn’t I pay you last month? Car bills are also very fun payments, because first you have insurance -- probably at least $150 a month -- then your engine light comes on (woo!). And, of course, we cannot forget gasoline that we happen to pay for at least twice a month, if you’re lucky. The electricity, the house, the groceries, and don’t forget the water bill. Then you have all those fun extracurricular activities that cost you $1,200 a semester (yes, Greek life, I am talking about you). If you pay all of that by yourself, congratulations you are an adult.
Being an adult also means you have to be responsible. That includes looking for and working at a job to earn money to pay for all the adult things listed above. No more sick days when you lay around in bed, unless you are at the “about to die” point of sickness. It means no excuses; you get up and go to class because you’ll be getting up to go to work every grueling day. Being an adult means being organized and keeping things (mainly) on track so you know what’s going on in your life.
Another big part of adult life is accepting things for what they are. Going out before a big test is the equivalent to going out before a business meeting or a job interview. You have to know that you don’t always get what you want. You cannot change the dates of events that are planned, you have to work around them. Can you imagine your parents just walking up to you and saying, “I’m going to the bar tonight. I have an executive meeting tomorrow for a big raise, but I’ll just do better at the next one.” What? Adults have to accept it as it is.
Adulthood means preparing your own meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That means no cake or candy at every meal. It means cleaning up your personal area when friends are coming over or vacuuming when you drop food on the floor. Adulthood brings a lot of change. So as I sat in my room, eating cake and watching Netflix, wondering why my mom wouldn't just go shopping with me, or why my dad was at work all day long, I realized it’s because they are adults and I am still a kid.
I still sleep in late and sometimes I forget to do an assignment. I don’t have a solid job that I go to every day and I certainly don’t pay all my bills by myself. I use the excuse “I don’t feel well” when really I could get up and go. I can put a dish in the microwave and put frozen waffles in a toaster, but that’s about it. So, I am a kid. A grown up, sassy, “Let me do it!” kid. But I am okay with that.
We all want to grow and be adults. We want to be able to do whatever we want, whenever we want. But that’s not what it means to be an adult. Adulthood is paying the bills, cleaning up the mess, and doing it all again the next day to have fun at the end of the week. So ask yourself if you are really an adult all the way and, if not, be thankful. If you are anything like me, sitting down and watching Netflix -- which your parents probably pay for -- tell them you appreciate it and spend as much time as you can just being a kid.
