When you’re a kid, being an adult seems like the best thing in the world. You can watch what you want, eat what you want, go to bed when you want, and basically no one tells you what to do all the dang time,
The truth is that even if you can technically do what you want, all of the reasons your parents wouldn’t let you do them as a kid still hold – and now you’re expected to make good decisions for yourself.
It’s not that great.
Here are 15 things no one tells you about being an adult before you actually become one.
15. It’s not like they want you to believe.
Life and opportunity isn’t nearly as long and boundless as it seems as a kid.
14. Life gets in the way.
TV Series always portray friends hanging out all the time as though their schedules always sync.
In reality, you barely get to hang out together or even talk in group chats because everyone’s busy with work and the ups & downs of adulthood.
13. No one is going to stop you but you.
Eating all the snacks is not a good idea.
Me at 23: I can eat a half gallon of cherry cordial ice cream for breakfast nobody can stop me.
Me still at 23 but two hours later on a toilet: Oh that’s what’s stopping me.
And you have to buy all your snacks.
12. It’s not a good day.
One day your parents will need your help from getting older and they likely won’t tell you. One day you show up for a visit and it hits like a ton of bricks that they need help.
They may deteriorate too. The person who used to comfort you and have answers does not have the answers anymore and can’t help you or even themselves.
My mother moved in with me about 5 years ago. At first it was just because she could not drive or take care of her home anymore. Now she has bad short term memory, poor emotional control, diminished critical thinking and is frustrated by these things to the point where it is hard to interact with her. She has isolated herself from almost everyone but me and even our relationship is deteriorating. It is sad to watch someone who used to be the glue fall apart.
11. Consequences are for adults, too.
There are actual consequences for just doing whatever you want.
I have been trying so hard to make my 10 year old understand that I don’t WANT to spend my weekends doing laundry and yard work, that I would much rather be reading and eating cherry turnovers.
10. Alone time is sacred.
As an adult you’ll find yourself wanting to be alone. Yet you’ll realize you don’t want to be lonely.
That was something I wrestled with when I met my fiancé. For years I’ve lived alone and enjoyed having my time be my own, yet always wanted someone to share it with. Now that someone will be living with me, possibly for the rest of my life, I was wondering to myself how I’m going to deal with that.
But the more I fall in love with her the more I’m excited to put the old bachelor life behind me and start this new chapter. When you can do that, you know you’ve found the right person.
9. Especially if you have kids.
You don’t have much free time and no one will take care of you.
8. It really is an endless cycle.
Bills never f**king end. For years every 30 days i was like “wtf i paid this bill already” just for it to happen again 30 days later.
I have a couple of auto paid bills and I swear every month I have to go back and check the bank account to make sure the last one was indeed a month ago. As I will swear I just paid it last week.
7. It’s hard not to look.
Once celebrities that were not old when you were growing up begin to die off from old age or your parents or their cohorts begin to die off from old age, your mortality becomes tangible in a way it never was before.
It’s no longer beyond the horizon. It’s perceivable whenever you look to it.
Sometimes it’s hard not to look.
6. Nothing is a “kid thing” unless you let it be.
You don’t have to stop doing the things you enjoy as a kid, don’t worry. Hobbies are important for good mental health even as an adult.
5. Friends aren’t forever.
You’ll most likely grow apart from a large portion of your childhood friends.
Which isn’t a bad thing, life will take you all in different directions and you’ll hopefully be able to make new friends that are more similar to who you grow up to be.
Also, that beautiful head of hair you are so proud of, might not be permanent. Keep an eye on that hairline fellas
4. Boring isn’t necessarily bad.
Day to day can be very boring, and more often then not, if it’s not boring, you’re going to wish it was!
I enjoy my job, but it’s really easy to look up and say a year went by, what did I do?
As a kid there’s so many events and seasons, sports, graduations etc.
Adult, 3 years in the same gig with the same people. Not something we really prepare people for!
3. Making friends is an active process.
If you don’t put yourself out there you won’t have friends.
I spent my early 20s thinking I was this artful outsider who didn’t have anything in common with my coworkers or peers. I was extremely judgmental about everyone and in turn was really isolated, spending a lot of time by myself at home talking on message boards with other people who I felt like related to me.
I can’t explain what happened, but I had a break somewhere around 26 or 27 where I was like ‘I’m actually just a narrow minded, secluded, stuck up asshole who goes online to talk to other people who are just like me to seek validation. In reality I’m surrounded by people who may not share my worldview, but aren’t really terrible people and they deserve kindness way more than I do’.
It’s been 10 years since that revelation and I’ve spent them making building relationships with different people, especially at work. You know helps work go by a lot faster? Having friends there you can talk to about whatever.
2. You look out for yourself.
No one else has time to look out for you. They’re busy looking out for themselves. So, save money, eat healthy, get enough sleep.
No one else is going to make sure you’re doing those things.
1. Freedom doesn’t mean you’re free.
The freedom is awesome, but with that freedom comes consequences for your actions and choices.
Bills suck.
Family drama sucks.
People you know start to die, which sucks.
And you still don’t have everything figured out, but you learn more as time passes, sometimes the hard way.
I mean, reality is realllllly rough some times, right?
What do you wish you would have known about adulthood before diving in? Tell us in the comments!