We college students are at the age between carefree fun and that super scary thing called "adulthood". If you're anything like me, you've started to realize changes in yourself that reveal your coming-of-ageness. This isn't supposed to point out all the bad, sappy stuff about growing up, but just the little quirky changes that leaving high school makes you realize. Growth is always a positive thing, but I highly recommend staying as young-minded as you can until you reach 100, because life is just taken WAY too seriously sometimes.
1. When you start worrying about your parents like they're your kids
Being away from home makes us a lot more sentimental than we'd like to admit to our already lonely parents and siblings. We truly worry about the well-being of our families, pets, and homes when we are away and not in the loop. I always told my parents they worried too much, but I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite.
2. When you realize you CAN'T eat whatever you want anymore
So the 5-day-a-week sports practices and high metabolisms have finally worn off. Eating like shit isn't acceptable anymore unless you are okay with some love handles and maybe a few rolls. I've learned to accept both for the amount of McDonald's I intend to keep eating.
3. When you start to enjoy watching/reading the news
Being well-informed is not only crucial but pretty enlightening at this age. Reading and hearing about the occurrences in the world we live in that we are striving to change after graduation is inspiring and extremely critical. I've never learned more than I have from intellectual conversations in classrooms and with friends about current events and our aspirations to stop the bad ones from happening when we enter the workforce.
4. When your coffee addiction becomes dangerous
So caffeine withdrawals are real. Hmm. A growing disfunction without a cup of coffee is extremely apparent among college students, especially considering the out-the-door Starbucks lines and hundreds of kids wired off of coffee and energy drinks at the library at 3 a.m.
5. When your natural athletic abilities disappear
In line with the (unfortunate) loss of indestructibility with food choices, our expertise in the sport we used to play has diminished. Whether you try to keep it up with a club team or play for fun, let's be real: you aren't the agile high school star you once were. Your jersey number is now worn by a benched high school freshman.
6. When drinking with your family is more fun than going out
There's nothing like getting wine drunk at the dinner table and talking to your family all about life. The bar scene just cannot compete.
7. When you give yourself a bed time because you're tired ALL THE TIME
We used to BEG to stay up late. Then we secretly stayed up late and used Kik to text our crushes. Now we pray that we can be in bed by 9 p.m. and be undisturbed by all outside sources.
8. When you have to make grocery lists
Thinking about what foods to buy to mix into something and call it a meal is actually hard. I have no clue how our parents did that every single day. To remember main courses, seasonings and dressings, side dishes, AND all the essentials like eggs and milk...that's too much work and too much money.
9. When you stop caring enough to wear a hoodie on a night out
Getting dolled up is fun at first. But when you make your real friends in college and realize you'll look like shit by the end of the night anyways, you start getting smart and getting cozy.
10. When you have to re-structure your social media to represent that badass businessperson you want to be
Changing your social media handles to nix your last name and make you "harder" for employers to find is still a dangerous game. Cleaning up those pictures and posts to make yourself look like the epitome of a hard-working intern would be near impossible for a lot of the people I follow.
All in all, growing up is weird. The good thing is that we are all feeling and experiencing these things, and most of us still have a few years of college to go! Basically, you'll find yourself caring more about the stuff that matters and less about the pretentious stuff that we sometimes think our world revolves around. REALITY CHECK: the guy that left you on read has not reached this point yet, but if you have, go you! If you haven't, keep having fun you beautiful, ignorant child.
