There's a meme going around the internet that you are probably familiar with. It says something to the effect of "I'm done adulting for the day" -- and I think we can all relate to that!
But as hard as things might get in your day to day life, it's important to keep in mind how honestly awesome it is being an adult and how far you've come from your days as a child. To help you realize this, I've come up with a rock solid list of SIX of the best reasons why adulting rocks!
- You control the CD player in the car stereo. I don't know how old you happen to be, but if you're in the same age bracket as me, then your parents might very well have subjected you to endless rotations of Carly Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Joel and The Carpenters. There's nothing wrong with any of those artists, necessarily -- maybe one or more of them happen to be your cup of jive . . . but after the third or fourth time you've heard "Uptown Girl" on the same road trip, you just can't take any more, OK? Thank you, adulthood.
- You start seeing every event in context. (this story is from my husband)
OK, story time: when I was six years old, my brother took me with him to K-Mart. They had this "Ghostbusters" toy that I really, really wanted -- it was a yellow, brown and gray Peter Venkman and I just had to have it. I was a huge "Ghostbusters" fan, he knew this, and yet he didn't buy it for me and I cried.
I'll show him, I apparently thought to myself, because I then proceeded to cry for twenty minutes straight.
Now before you label me a cry baby (which I kind of was -- but c'mon, hear me out, OK?) I felt like the entire day was wasted and all my other toys were worthless -- how could I play with any of my stupid old toys when I'd seen the pinnacle of all childhood entertainment, the coolest "Ghostbusters" toy ever invented?
My brother was not impressed by my antics, but I was pitiful enough to make my mother give him some money to make me shut up. Anyway, he talked me into forgetting all about Peter Venkman and we used Mom's money to buy a Commodore 64 game instead. As it turned out, it was way too hard for me to play so it ended up being a total waste, but at least it got me out of my funk and I forgot all about that toy that I thought I could not live without.
The thing is, at the time when I realized I couldn't get that Peter Venkman toy, it felt like the entire world slowed down and every minute crawled by. It was like the end of the world -- it sounds ridiculous, but when you're six, that's a pretty apt description for the hurricane of crazy emotions you're feeling, and you really don't know how to control any of that.
By the time you're an adult, you've had the benefit of buying tons of more toys throughout the years. You've had friends, seen their toys, felt what it was like to play with their stuff and not bring it home. The same thing goes with any event in your life, or even with world events: you've seen bad times, and you've watched them pass. Suddenly, you start to see each individual thing that happens to you as one piece of a larger picture you will call your life, rather than individual pieces of the puzzle that are still crying about not getting that "Ghostbusters" toy. And besides, if I had the money to do so, I could go buy all the toys I wanted. But, as it turns out, I don't really need any. That's the lesson we learn as adults: nothing really ends our worlds, even if it feels like it will in the moment. Age gives you a perspective that childhood simply does not, and cannot, have. - If people continuously ignore your boundaries, you DON'T HAVE TO SEE THEM ANYMORE. This is perhaps the greatest strength we have as adults, and it all stems from the kind of victimization most of us experience starting with our earliest years in school. Based on your age, you're legally forced to grow up alongside your bullies from first grade all the way through graduation. Even worse, there are a million situations in which there might be people back at home, or extended family members who visit, that can take bullying to new extremes.
Maybe you are lucky and you didn't have any problems with bullies at school and your home life has always been good. Well, how about this: do you have a "friend" who only calls you when they need something, and it's driving you crazy? Well, this still applies to you then because as adults we can and should choose who we involve in our lives.
If someone is a bully or treats you badly in any way, you can walk away from them. There is no excuse for abuse. Creating healthy boundaries is a part of owning your own happiness and when people ignore those boundaries again and again, you do not owe them your respect or your time. - You can be as loud as you want (as much as your neighborhood and the law permits). My husband plays guitar and sings, and when he was a kid and just starting out doing both of these things,he . . . well, to put it nicely, he sounded like he was just beginning to play guitar and sing. Anyway, when he'd practice, his parents were reasonably accepting of the volume with which he'd play the guitar, but he always had to sing with the door closed, and keep his voice down. He could only try to sing for real when they weren't home.
Then after we were dating a year, we moved in together. Those restrictions fell away -- and he can sing as loud as he wants without feeling embarrassed or judged. He can crank my amp and make the walls shake if he wants to.
Not only that, I have to say, I LOVE loud music. I will throw CD's on my surround sound system and blast that shit as loud as I can without breaking my speakers. No parents are around to tell me "Turn that crap down!" Nope, now the only people yelling at me to be quiet are my children! Those weenies. Teenagers who don't want to listen to loud music with mom? What's wrong with them. Oh well, at least now I will turn down out of respect for others rather than having to because my parents to me to. HA! Take that mom and dad! - Your eyelids determine your curfew (and bedtime). Remember if you wanted to hang out with your friends when you were a kid, and your parents would tell you what time you had to come home and it was never the right time? Well, the good news is that as an adult, there are no limits -- sort of. Of course you have to deal with the results of your actions, and you might feel like crap tomorrow, but basically if you can deal with it, you are good to go. The best part? You don't have to worry about disapproving stares upon your return from your parents. (note: to get your spouse to not give you those disapproving stares, take them with you!)
You might get a few stares from your dog or cat, though, but that can't be helped. These are the things we must live with as adults. - You can do "adulty" things like drink alcohol or watch "R" rated movies. There are some kids out there who's parents let them watch any-rated movies, but for the most part, kids are stuck with PG-13 and under. But now that you're an adult, you can watch any damn movie you want! Ha! "Take that mom and dad!" you scream as you throw in the latest "adulty" movie into the blu-ray player (though if you're watching "adult" movies--which differ from "adulty" movies--don't bring up mom and dad's name, mkay? That's just weird...). You can pop open a beer or a glass of wine and make a cool night of it. Back when you were a kid, you were stuck watching the latest animated movie from Disney (though, they are still fun to watch) and would pop open a cream soda or pour up some Sunny D and make a sugar-filled extravaganza of it (and probably not even gain a freaking pound). Come to think of it, that part wasn't so bad as a kid. Maybe we'll call this one equal, shall we?
So you see? There's a lot to be thankful about as an adult, and a lot of fun to be had. These are just a few reasons being an adult is better than being a kid -- and are oodles more, if you really think about it. While way may reminisce back to our childhoods and about how cool our lack of adulting responsibilities were, there are plenty of reasons to be happy we're old people now. While neither age is as cracked up as they're made out to be (as a kid, we always wanted to grow up...once were grown, we wanted to go back to being a "carefree" kid again), each also has their value.
But I don't know about you, I'll take my rated-R movies and my freedom any day over going back to being a kid with a "parent imposed" bedtime again 😏
Got a great reason why you prefer being an adult to being a kid? Share it in the comments below!
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