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Of all the things we were taught in school or by our parents, the biggest thing was that there is no real moment in time where you truly know you’re an adult. Physically, you could get to 80 years old but still feel mentally as you did at 21. 

However, there are some real home truths that will remind you that you’ve made it to adulthood on a daily basis that will have you thinking ‘yeah, OK, I guess I’m an adult now…’ 

If you read some of these things below and find yourself agreeing aloud- welcome to the crew. You made it. It’s OK, really…

You Got Bills (and mortgage, tax, insurance, car maintenance)

When you were a kid and starting to look at jobs you may have looked at jobs and thought of all the wonderful and fun things you could buy with a $18k salary after you left college. But for an adult facing the stark reality that if you want to keep a roof over your head, $18k really isn’t going to get you very far at all. That’s a harsh reality of adulthood–your entry level job may not give you the lifestyle you wanted. You get your salary in your bank and then it’s stolen by rent, utilities, your car, and then you’re left with pennies at the end of the month. Having too much month at the end of the money is one of the biggest signs that you’ve unlocked the adult achievement. 

You Relish The Thought of Being On Your Own 

You work hard all day and then might spend time crammed up against people on the train on the way home so the thing you crave most is being on your own. Kids hate the idea of doing anything on their own, but by the time adulthood comes, you feel lucky if you can spend a few hours  on your day off at https://www.laurelridgeexperience.com/golf-course rather than having to do boring things like clean your car or go grocery shopping. Dull! 

When a spouse and/or kids come along — you can forget it! 

You Can Eat Whatever You Like–But You Don’t 

If you have kids, then you know that if you ask them ‘What do you want to eat?’ they will reply with a list of all of the things that scream ‘blood pressure meds’ or ‘high blood sugar’. Yes, you’re in charge of the grocery shop now, but you know that if you eat like a literal child let loose in the candy shop your aged body will not thank you. Eating poorly as you get older will make you realize exactly why your mom would enforce the occasional broccoli floret on your fork as you navigate through dental and medical bills to boot.

All in all, the realization that you have become an adult isn’t so bad. You get to earn your own money, eat what you want and drive a car- what could be better than that?