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Do you remember your mom telling you she was picking you up from school early the next day because you had a dentist appointment? How about always going in your drawers and there were always clean clothes in there even though you didn't put them there? Or coming home to dinner cooked every night and all you had to do was eat it (and then you were probably told to wash the dishes after)? Those were the days, huh?
I don't remember the turning point or an exact moment where I just became an adult. It seems like everything happened so very slowly over time but also in the blink of an eye and I just woke up a grown up!
Adulting is really the best, though, isn't it? You can do anything you want! You don't have to answer to anyone anymore. If you don't feel like doing the dishes... Don't. They'll still be there for you in the morning. Don't want to do your laundry? Don't. You can always turn your underwear inside out when your run out, or just don't wear any! It's just the greatest feeling being FREE. Until you see a spider hanging down from the corner of your bedroom and then suddenly you find yourself looking for a REAL grown up.
My mid to late twenties have been such a strange transition period. The past few years have absolutely been the best and the worst. I mean, I pay my own bills, I make my own appointments, I am now responsible for a tiny version of my boyfriend for three days a week but I still feel like I need to turn to actual adults sometimes. For instance, I needed to change my windshield wiper fluid recently and what a mess! I spent two days searching my car for the latch to open my hood and couldn't find it. How can I manage to pay my car insurance, car payment, EZ Pass and gas for my tank every month but I can't manage to find the little picture that shows me how to pop my hood?!
Not everything is difficult, though. I have gotten used to the food shopping and cooking. And for anyone that knows me, they know that is a HUGE deal. I'm the girl that used to make hot dogs (in the microwave) and macaroni and cheese every time I had to cook for myself. But it turns out, I actually love being able to feed people! My meals have been pretty hit or miss but I am certainly getting there! I have learned to meal plan and shop sales to save money. I now buy the paper every Sunday to clip my coupons and will even go shopping on Saturday and Sunday in one weekend depending on the deals! I remember when I wouldn't spend one minute sober on the weekends!
Growing up certainly isn't always what I thought it would be. I can remember being so impatient when I was a teenager and just could not wait to be on my own. Now, I only wish I didn't have half the bills and the responsibilities that come along with the freedom. I see my brother in high school now and just hope that he's savoring every second of it. Once you leave those doors your life changes forever.
While all that sucks, to say the least, it is most definitely rewarding. Coming home to the person you are sharing your life with and enjoying a meal together every night makes all those other struggles worth it. Knowing that it's solely because of you two that you have a home, a car, a job, food on the table and happiness in your home. (Until you do actually run out of clean laundry and someone has to go commando to work). But seriously, growing up may not be what it's cracked up to be ... but it is so much more!
[Photo's courtesy of Getty Images & Breanne]