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As children or young adults, many people can’t wait to grow up—they are sick and tired of having to nap, eat their veggies, and have someone else handle their expenses. Yet the tables are quick to turn when they reach sought-after adulthood, and all of a sudden, they want nothing more than to take a nap, have a hearty home-cooked meal, and have someone else cover their bills for once.
These are just some examples of how things change once people enter the zone of being an adult, and we have many more on the list below! So scroll down to find some of the most spot on descriptions of what adulting is like, and upvote the ones that resonate with you the most.
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#2
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
And being able to lay in bed at 2 am making your grocery list based on the layout of each store
#3
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
My husband and I were just talking about this tonight. A million dollars sounded like a lot of money 20 years ago. Now we’re thinking about how it wouldn’t go very far
If you could travel back in time and ask your younger self, ‘What is something you’re looking forward to in life as an adult?’ what would the answer be?
Some would likely say that they would like to not be restricted by their parents’ rules or curfews. (Little do they know, though, that being able to stay in on a Friday night feels like a blessing when you’re older.) Others might wish to not have to go to school. (Not realizing that going to work might not be much better.) And there would likely be those who would be keen on moving out and living on their own. (Which, despite certain advantages, is not always an episode of Friends, either.)
#5
While what people consider fun or look forward to when growing up differs with each person, one thing seems to be universal: adulting doesn’t affect people the same way—or at the same time—as it used to.
Take teenagers, for instance. Even though they’re not exactly adults yet, nowadays, they don’t seem to be in a hurry, either—compared to their counterparts from a couple of decades ago. A study from 2019, carried out by Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, Dr. Jean M. Twenge, and assistant professor of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College, Dr. Heejung Park, found that in the years leading up to the study, adolescents were less likely to engage in activities rarely performed by children but often performed by adults (such as dating, going out without their parents, drinking alcohol, or driving).
“Adolescents are pursuing a slower life strategy in a social context of greater parental investment, lengthened education, delayed reproduction, lower pathogen prevalence, and longer lives. The developmental trajectory of adolescence has slowed, with teens growing up more slowly than they once did,” the study read in part.
#7
Rick Murray 9 months ago
A checklist written in a language you don't understand, in black ink, on black paper, that you're trying to read in the dark.
#8
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
I don’t remember the last time my iron saw the light of day. True adulting is not giving a flying f**k if your clothes have a few wrinkles. They’re only gonna have more by the end of the day
Data provided by Pew Research Center seconds the idea that young people nowadays are unlike their predecessors of a corresponding age back in the day. Millennials nowadays (in the US, at least) are reportedly more educated than the older generations were at their age. They have also brought more racial and ethnic diversity to American society, and more women to the nation’s workforce.
Millennials are also reportedly not as keen to marry or have children early. “Compared with previous generations, Millennials—those ages 22 to 37 in 2018—are delaying or foregoing marriage and have been somewhat slower in forming their own households. They are also more likely to be living at home with their parents, and for longer stretches,” Pew Research Center notes.
Many people believe that nowadays, young adults face more difficulties than their counterparts did back in the day. According to the Adulthood Across Generations survey, carried out by Life Happens, as much as 71% of respondents say adulting now is harder than it was 30 years ago. One of the main reasons for that, according to roughly as many respondents, is that the cost of living is higher than ever before.
#12
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
To be fair, at age 10 we all thought freedom was being able to eat ice cream for breakfast
When asked how they would define becoming an adult, more than half of the respondents (56%) in the Adulthood Across Generations survey said that adulting means being able to pay their own bills. For 45% of them, being an adult is being financially independent, while 46% said they started feeling like adults when they moved out of their parents’ home.
#15
Rick Murray 9 months ago
Not doing so great on the third, the fourth was a lost cause years ago.
#17
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
Currently going through this. My mother is going into long term care. The role reversal is truly bizarre
For many people, it takes something more significant than paying taxes to make them feel like an adult. Surveys carried out in the UK found that for roughly 55% of respondents, becoming an adult was dependent upon major life events, such as having children or getting married.
Moreover, for roughly half of people, the transition to adulthood happened in their 20s, while one in five respondents didn’t feel like an adult until their 30s. One in 20 respondents shared that they only felt like they had grown up when they were in their 40s.
#18
Multa Nocte 9 months ago
Had some leftover pizza for lunch today and leftover mashed potatoes for dinner and it was a win/win situation.
Whether you’re in your 20s or your 40s, married, single, or divorced, living with your partner, your parents, or alone, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to what makes someone an adult. But if you found yourself relating to most of the posts on this list, chances are, you might have reached adulthood after all. But don’t worry! Some say that life only gets better from there.
#21
Little Bit 9 months ago
Yep. You finish cleaning the house just in time to start cleaning the house.
#26
Adam Benson 9 months ago
My wallet is fat. It's just filled with bills, receipts and IOUs instead of money.
#28
#29
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
I miss my bed from the second I crawl out of it to the second I crawl back in
#30
Upstaged75 9 months ago
Food tastes better when someone else prepares it. Why is cooking for yourself such a chore??
#31
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
The only thing better than home time is bed time. Although, I gotta admit wine time is also pretty cool
#33
Featherytoad 9 months ago
Keep a pad of paper and pen in the kitchen. When you see something getting low, write it down on your grocery list.
#34
BookFanatic 9 months ago
My besties and I are all in our 40s and scattered across the country. We're planning a week-long sleepover in June at our Colorado friend's place. God help her poor husband. 😆
#35
#37
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
When I as eighteen, I wanted to take over the world. At 55, just turning on my dishwasher is exciting because I don’t have to wash it all
#39
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
Where do they all even come from?! Like I know I haven’t made toast in more that a week! WTF me?!
#40
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
Brain says let’s just get takeout. Bank account says b***h you eating ramen
#42
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#54
E Menendez 9 months ago
I prefer Fridays, tbh. I much prefer them to Mondays. Everyone is frazzled on Monday so it easier trying to catch up from a Friday off. With Monday off, starting Tuesday everyone else has already settled into the week and I am the only one trying to catch up.
#58
Hassel Davidhoff 9 months ago
100% At this point I'm convinced that it is gone forever. I have this small particle of hope that I'll experience that, or something like it, in retirement, but it's a truly tiny hope.
#59
#61
#62
Lady Eowyn 9 months ago
I didn't have to wait until adulthood, it was pretty obvious. Me included.
#64
Firstname Lastname 9 months ago
I blame my parents' cooking. I didn't like certain foods because they didn't make them or made them poorly, but now I make a near daily habit of hummus.
#66
Upstaged75 9 months ago
For me it's my resignation letter. I've typed it out then deleted it twice now. Every Monday morning I've convinced myself I'm going to quit. And then somehow it's Friday again....
#67
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
The only way I’m EVER moving again is if I have enough money to pay somebody to pack my s**t, move it, and unpack it at the other end
#81
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
When you’re both hungry and thirsty but getting up off the sofa seems like more effort than it’s worth
#90
Sky Render 9 months ago (edited)
And a global return of fascism promoting as many facets of bigotry as possible.
#98
Fire Singer 9 months ago
There's a good chance it wasn't just "one thing" that led to that breakdown. :(
#99
Colleen Glim 9 months ago
Or you could figure that out for your self and not have to call your man for it. Google is there for a reason
#100
Upstaged75 9 months ago
As an adult I sleep whenever the hell I want. That's one of the only good things about it. I slept until 2pm one day last weekend.
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What do you think ?
Gingersnap In Iowa 9 months ago
Adulthood is like Las Vegas, it's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.
justagirl 9 months ago
I had to stop reading halfway through because this scares me. WHAT IF I FAIL MY FAMILY. WHAT IF I AM A FAILURE AND AM NOT GOOD AT ANYTHING AND DIE ALONE AND MISERABLE.
Papa 9 months ago
If you're concerned about it then it's not likely to happen. You'll be fine.
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Gingersnap In Iowa 9 months ago
Adulthood is like Las Vegas, it's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.
justagirl 9 months ago
I had to stop reading halfway through because this scares me. WHAT IF I FAIL MY FAMILY. WHAT IF I AM A FAILURE AND AM NOT GOOD AT ANYTHING AND DIE ALONE AND MISERABLE.
Papa 9 months ago
If you're concerned about it then it's not likely to happen. You'll be fine.
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