Adulting is often a part of life that isn't discussed between parents and their children. It's important to have some sort of idea of what to expect before that part of life comes, but a lot of it is figuring out what works best for you. Adulting is different for everyone and navigating it isn't easy. Here are some things that (I think) parent's don't tell you about adulting as a teenager.
1. It's Hard AF.
As a teenager, I would always wish that I was an adult (didn't we all?) because I wanted freedom and independence. I felt that once I became an adult everything would be smooth sailing (who lied to me?) and that I wouldn't have to worry about things because I had a plan. A plan that included my future career, jobs, and of course a process of how I would get to that point. Now as a young adult, everything has changed for me. I no longer have a set plan because I've changed what I want to do as a career and job-wise as well as my plan of getting there.
2. You're Going to be Tired TIRED
As mentioned before, as a child I had a very unrealistic version of what adulting would be like. It wasn't realistic because I only thought of what I was going to do and how I was going to make it happen. Now that I am actually pursuing a degree as a college student and am trying to balance things such as my social life, extra-curricular activities, and physical/mental health, it's a lot. I don't think that this is something that is necessarily discussed especially between parents and their children. However I can say that I did watch my parents growing up and they worked very hard to provide for my siblings and I. They were often extremely tired at the end of the day. What I've learned now as an adult is that no matter what you choose to pursue in life it's going to take a lot of work and be tired (more often than not). Which is unfortunate but that's how society and capitalism works.
3. You're Going to Get Discouraged.
This is important because oftentimes there's no mention of the negative times that come with adulting. As I mentioned earlier, it's hard and your parents aren't making decisions for you like before. There's no one to tell you constantly to do something. It's now up to you to make those decisions. Initially, this was hard for me because who's going to make my doctor's appointments now? But in all seriousness adulting is not all sunshine and rainbows (by the way I'm saying this and I'm only 19). I still have a long way to go and it's only just the beginning for me. I know there are going to be really tough times. But there are ways to make those times (I believe) less difficult.
4. Support Systems Matter!
The last point is what led me to the final point and that's having a strong support system. Having people around that love, support, and encourage you matters. Adulting (and life in general) isn't easy and having people like this around you can make the difficult times less difficult than they seem.
These are only some of the things that I think parents don't share with their children about adulting. What are some things that at your parents haven't told you (or didn't) tell you about adulting? Has it affected the way you navigate this part of your life? What I've mentioned has definitely affected how I go about my life at this moment. However, most importantly it's important to take care of yourself first at this point in your life. Yes, the world may need you but so do you.
