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As children, we all looked forward to adulthood and enjoying what appeared to be the perks of being a grown-up. But once we experience the challenges of “adulting,” many realize that the real world isn’t as enticing as previously perceived.
So when someone on Reddit asked, “What’s an adult problem you were not prepared for?” there was no shortage of responses. Some shared their disdain for the amount of household chores they suddenly had to deal with, while others became aware of the fatigue brought on by making important life decisions.
As always, we’ve collected some of the most notable answers. Enjoy reading through them and see which ones you connect with the most.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Wanting to do stuff but just not having energy. Like, I want to be creative and play video games but I just can't muster any energy to do it. I'm just so freaking tired all the time and I'm freaking tired of doing things. .
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#2
Idk if this counts as one but I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older I can’t stand loud noises.
#3
Decision fatigue. You’re telling me I need to decide what I’m going to eat for every meal myself? Plan ahead and make sure I buy the correct groceries to coincide with those decisions? No way….
#4
Having to spend money nearly every single day. Groceries, gas, rent, car maintenance, insurance, student loans, utilities, household supplies, subscriptions, medicine, parking fees… it just never ends. Even when you think you’re done spending, something will inevitably break down and you’ll have to shell out $200+ to get it fixed. It’s madness.
#5
Doctors being the same age as you.
When you're young, doctors are kind, wise authority figures.
When you're an adult, they're just some dude that thinks you make s**t decisions.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
And then your only social contact with humans are health care workers.
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Colleen Glim 1 year ago
Found out a few years back that somebody I went to highschool with was now an orthopedic surgeon. We all knew that’s where he was headed but goddamn
SkippityBoppityBoo 1 year ago
Neither upvoted or downvoted this one. (Yet again!) When I was in hospital? The big head honcho, like the super head of the department came in a few times with student doctors. It's a teaching hospital so expected. I was having my bandages changed, on my butt! And he whipped open the privacy curtain and I shouted "Get Out!!!". The nurse looked at me smiling laughing because I said just after loudly, "If I wanted my butt on display? I'd sell tickets!!!"... A lot of the older male doctors I found to be more stoic, less likely to empathise than the younger ones. I can't speak for everywhere obviously but I do think that the younger generation of doctors are becoming more empathetic. As in, there's not as big an 'emotional wall' anymore. They still have to distance to be able to do their job but it's not as bad as when I've been in hospital when I was a lot younger.
#6
Getting fat.
#7
Coming to terms with childhood trauma and the realization your parent was emotionally abusive.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
Or eventually realizing nobody else is to blame for my mental state. It is just my own over active imagination generating the negative thoughts. Like Mark Twain said I have mentally experienced many bad things in my life, most of which never happened.
#8
Making friends. As a kid, you're in school, forced to be around a kid if others mostly like-minded. As an adult, you might connect with a coworker or two but generally making friends and strengthening this relationships are nearly a second job.
#9
The never ending grind. After a couple of decades, I'm left wondering how the hell I'm going to keep going like this.
#10
How much constant work it is to take care of yourself. Exercise, add weight training as you age to keep bones strong, healthy eating, which means meal planning, grocer shopping, cooking and cleaning if you don't want to spend your entire check on meals out. Then washing up, stretching, tooth care, flossing, skin care, doc visits, house fixes, car fixes, car shopping. It doesn't f*****g end.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
At least when you are young all that work and exercise pays off in increased energy and strength and stamina. After age 60 all that work is required just to be able to get out of bed in the morning.
#11
Bad people get promoted at work, often for using their awful qualities in despicable ways. Being honest and hardworking are not considered leadership qualities at many large companies.
Child of the Stars 1 year ago
I hate to break it to you, but while being honest and hardworking are good qualities in and of themselves, they're not inherently leadership qualities. They say nothing about your ability to lead and inspire others--which ARE leadership qualities.
#12
The lack of caring. As a kid people (parents and teachers) cared if I showed up for things. They cared if I did my work. They cared if I got out of bed. Someone cared about what I did. As an adult no one cares about what I do. As a kid someone cared if I ate lunch as an adult no one cares if lunch is 4 martinis.
Sue Denham 1 year ago
True. This is why you have to care about yourself. You're worth it. Look after you.
#13
Aches and pains but your not sure why or how you got them.
#14
Mostly the world getting worse.
I was the type of person that had all his ducks in a row and the world constantly changes to make sure no matter how high I climb, I'll always remain at the same level by keeping up with the cost of everything else.
The cost of food now is just insane.
It just baffles me that I live in a country like the USA and millions of full time workers still can't afford basic needs.
#15
That the worst part of being an adult is both having a job and not having a job.
SkippityBoppityBoo 1 year ago (edited)
😭 sometimes! I swear I'm busier now than before I became disabled and was working!!! The booking various appointments for specialists and doctors plus the physiotherapy hospital to get my crutches, adapted shoes, calipers etc fixed, making sure repeat prescriptions are collected, booking a slot for a monthly food delivery, clothes to replace certain clothes, food shopping online, etc etc etc!!!... I think I need a PA... 😄
#16
“There is always a fire to put out “ so to say … that feeling of suspicion when things are too good for a little while.
#17
No amount of sleep during the work week is adequate. I have to “waste” a portion of my weekend on sleeping in every week to catch up.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
And then I eventually learned that over sleeping made me feel like garbage on Saturday.
#18
Dealing with finances.
Did not pay enough attention when young and now at 55 fearing I may never retire as I won't be financially able too.
#20
How many chores there are. I did a lot as a kid but wow are there so many now.
Child of the Stars 1 year ago
Another one painted as a negative that I find wonderfully soothing. Not only does having a clean and organized home feel good, but the monotony of folding laundry or doing dishes is basically like a vacation for my brain. It's such a great coping skill for anxiety.
#21
The discrepancy between pay and how much everything costs.
Like I look back at the 5 bedroom house I rented in 2018 for $1250 a month and thought that was hefty. That same house is renting for $3000 a month now.
#22
There's something wrong with me (emotionally/mentally). It might be depression but I'm not 100% sure. .
keyboardtek 1 year ago
Attributed to maybe Freud: before diagnosing yourself as having depression, first make sure you are not surrounded by a******s.
#23
Aging parents that need more and more help.
Free_Bingo:
And how expensive elder care is. It is absolutely outrageous.
#25
Going over health insurance options.
keyboardtek 1 year ago (edited)
Then you retire. Go to an insurance salesperson who tells you the new Medicare Advantage programs cover almost everything and cover the d**g doughnut hole that basic medicare does not cover. Then you find out all the new medicines are not even covered. When they eventually get covered they have a $500 monthly copay.
#26
Understanding taxes and the endless paperwork that comes with them.
Another Panda 1 year ago
Pretty much just another dysfunctional US issue. Other countries make taxes easy to figure out (refilling) and submit online. Short, simple forms. And no surprises when purchasing items - tax is uniform all around the country, and included in the price.
#27
Realizing I’ve always felt entitled to challenge rules and that’s not how the real world works.
Joseph Miller 1 year ago
Please do not stop questioning the rules! Rules and laws change if they need to change!
#28
Enduring jobs I didn't like solely for the sake of a paycheck.
It really didn't sink it until the honeymoon phase of my first retail job finally went away. But it was the push I needed to mature faster and start working towards the kind of work I actually wanted to do.
ENSJ 1 year ago
Oh it sunk in a while ago. But my jobs don't pay me enough to adequately save so I can follow the courses I need for the job I want. Also, the job I want is only feasible if you're born in the trade or are rich. I know farming is really hard work, but I'd definitely prefer it (have been volunteering when I find the time and energy) over the customer facing roles I've had all my life.
#29
How quickly groceries vanish.
#30
Infertility.
Also our dishwasher is broken, which sucks too.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
And then you get your wish, have a kid or adopt one, and eventually learn that having a family and kids is not what it is cracked up to be. You eventually retire and wonder where all that money you earned went because you now have very little in savings. Then you say "Oh yes, I had kids."
#31
The hassle of making appointments for things and having to wait months for a specialist appointment that you were referred to. How is there such a high demand for GI doctors? Like why do I have to wait till December? I gotta figure out when to do this, I gotta see if I can get time off for this, if I drop my car off at the auto shop, I gotta make sure I can get it back by this day. It never ends.
#32
Figuring out how to fix leaky faucets without calling for help.
#33
Having a child with mental illness.
#34
I'm 39 and I have to gameify everything so that I do it. Dishes, laundry, yard care, car stuff, cleaning, bills, taxes, retirement planning, entertainment, etc. It's all work and takes a considerable amount of time.
It's been a decade since I started this grind and I'm left wondering, "so this is it, huh?".
Yep, this is it. Another 10 years go by and before you know it, it's time to retire and your life is essentially ending. Where was my growth and self discovery? Where was my great personal revolution supposed to be? All along the way, it turns out, but I just was too busy doing the little things that it passed me by!
#36
The shocking and sad realities of the world. I was a pretty sheltered kid/teen and when I recently realized the cruelty of the system that we live in. Unless you are wealthy or from wealth, the odds are stacked against you. How the poor have to pay more in taxes compared to the income we make versus an affluent person who can use their purchases as a tax write-off. How we can easily feed everybody in the world, yet we can't even feed the people in our own country. Just how rigged the "justice" system is. I'm grateful to my parents for letting me have a magical childhood, but I was not prepared for this harsh reality.
#38
Everyone getting old and dying on me.
#39
Trying to get a job when there's 600 billion teenagers trying to get the same job.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
One needs a specialized skill. My daughter is an expert in accounting software and has had no problem getting good paying work-from-home jobs where she runs the accounts payable for corporations.
#41
Adults older than me behaving like teenagers: Emotional, passive aggressive, and giving you the silent treatment.
#42
Not being able to eat spicy foods anymore 😭😭😭.
Widdershins66 1 year ago
Strangely enough, spicy is ok for me, it's crumpets, any pastries and crisps which absolutely hate me 🤪
#43
Being expected to work a 9 to 5 while most places are only open between 9 and 5.
#44
How much I miss my kids while im working.
#45
You don't get a break from work when you get home. You work Monday through Friday at your actual job, and then evenings and weekends are spent maintaining your home in the form of "housework". If you take too much time relaxing, you suddenly have neverending housework you need to catch up on.
#46
Getting an aggressive rare type of breast CA at 43 and having bilateral mastectomies. Grateful to be CA free right now but the journey through it was so rough. Emotional and physical scars are intense.
#47
Wondering if you are in the wrong or not.
I can't tell if I am really being an a*****e or if people are just being f*****g childish.
I know I shouldn't yell but you shouldn't be [making love] in the bathroom. So many people do things you very obviously shouldn't be doing even if it is just to "cut loss" ever now and then.
#48
As you get older, your long time friends start leaving your life. Sometimes its just them moving far away or getting deep into a job. But sometimes its a fight or argument or a off the cuff comment that ends decades of friendship. Othertimes….. they die. Ive known people that have Overdosed, car wrecks, heart attacks…. Getting older sucks sometimes.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
I have tried reaching out to old friends and try to keep up communication with friends via email. Most do not even have the courtesy of responding.
#49
When an appliance or large/expensive necessity breaks. I don't like calling repair people and sounding like an idiot, I don't like having to search for a replacement thing, I always feel like whoever is fixing or selling me a new one is lying so I'll spend more money, and quite often, WHAT DO I DO WITH THE OLD GIANT BROKEN ONE? Sometimes it's fine because they'll take it, but sometimes it's my problem and that adds another layer of I don't want to deal with any of this.
Plus it's always expensive. So freaking expensive. And once one thing breaks, the rest of the appliances line up to die too.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
Six months before we planned to sell our house and move to the mountains to retire, every single appliance died.
#50
How much slower the body heals after the smallest of injuries. It's ok, I'll survive, but damn... takes time!
#51
Having to settle the affairs of a parent after they unexpectedly and suddenly pass.
To any Redditor that stumbles across this: if you have kids or loved ones, have an ironclad will that spells out what you want done with your remains, who gets what/when/how, and what happens to your digital life (i.e. email, facebook, etc).
#52
When you're done with college and you start to fall into a routine and think, "so this is it?".
#53
Realizing that life is if snakes + ladders had a baby with monopoly.
When you start winning,
Big brother changes the rules.
#54
The fact that houses have a lifespan and no matter what I thought when I bought my forever home. That forever home physically rots, cracks, develops leaks, has parts that get blown off forever- I never knew how insecure a house can be and how normal it is to just live amongst something that feels like it’s falling apart around me.
#55
I wasn't prepared to lose my naieve faith in capitalism. The idea that hard work is rewarded is laughable in most companies.
#57
When both you and your SO are sick at the same time and you have to take care of each other but are too sick to do it so you both just suffer together.
#58
Figuring out how to live through a pandemic.
Groceries now costing 50-75% more than they used to for myself and two cats. Not being able to afford the same apartments I could afford in college.
#59
How stressful it can feel to be responsible for your own health. As a kid when something wasn’t right or you felt unwell you looked to your parents and they sorted it out for you. I knew if mom knew about it, she was on it and nothing bad was going to happen to me. As an adult you are the only one who makes sure your health concerns are addressed and you are the one who has to make the judgement call of when it’s time to go to the doctor.
#60
The floor in the master bathroom is wet. No one's taken a shower recently. A couple of the ceramic floor tiles on the concrete foundation make squishing noises when you step on them. Fortunately, I haven't booked anything yet for this upcoming vacation I had planned.
(I'm calling my insurance first thing tomorrow to see what they recommend. The leak is super slow but I have no doubt it'll become a problem pretty quick if I don't deal with it.).
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