Growing up is inevitable. We all do it. No matter how much you want to stay a child forever, you simply can't. When you head off to college and legally become an adult, the little things you do really make you feel grown up.
When you start to have expenses.
You realize you're actually an adult when your parents don't pay for everything anymore and no longer contribute to your bank account. Sure if you're in college they may still pay for your big expenses (i.e. tuition, sorority dues, rent) but you're now on your own for everything else. No more shopping trips to the mall or impulse buys online. The money you worked for all last summer now goes to food, activities, your electricity, gas, and any other expenses you may have.
When you NEED to find a job rather than you WANT a job.
You know you're growing up when you NEED to find a job rather than you simply want a job. You now have expenses and only have enough in your account to last you the first few months. After that, you're out of luck. The hard thing about getting a job on campus is that approximately 30,000 other people in the community are looking for one too, so it may take you a while to find one.
When you have to start budgeting and keeping track of your purchases.
For me at least, this is what made me feel the most grown up. You can no longer hit up the mall with your friends and blow all your money away on a cute new pair of shoes. Instead, you have to start budgeting your funds, making sure you don't go over the amount you can spend each month and keeping track of what you buy. When you go shopping, you have to think of the necessities, not just the things you want in the moment or something trendy that could go out of style tomorrow. Starting to make smart decisions with money is one of the most useful things you can do for yourself. It really makes you realize you're no longer a child when you have to deal with your own finances.
When you have to make your own meals.
Gone are the days of coming home after school or practice and having dinner ready on the table for you as soon as you step in the door. Now, if you're hungry, you have to cook your own food and make your own meals. Not only that but you have to start to grocery shop, buy your own food and make sure you eat it because it goes bad, so you aren't wasteful. It's expensive to eat out all the time. Learning to cook your own food and starting to plan out your meals will not only save you money but doing so will prove just how much you've grown and matured.
When everyone you grew up with lives all over the country.
Everyone from your hometown suddenly disperses once they reach college age (18), either to go off to school or move out and live somewhere else now that they're a legal adult. Coming back home is now strange because everyone who used to live there is no longer around.
When "home" becomes your "parent's house".
You know you're officially an adult and on your own when your childhood home no longer feels like home. It's no longer your home because you don't live there anymore. It's now just your parent's home. The people you grew up with are all gone and all you are left with are the memories of your childhood. Even as a college student coming home for breaks, your house doesn't quite feel like home anymore, at least not the way it used to. You may find that your closest friends are now thousands of miles away in a town far from your own. You have a new home now and a new life away from where you came from.
