5 Signs You’re Entering Adulthood (Eek!)

Because my college career will be drawing to a close soon, my mind is winding its way towards that point in my life when I will no longer be a carefree college student. I will be a— what do they call it again? A grown-up?

By B.A

In that same frame of mind, I’ve been looking at my so-called grown-up friends to see how their lives are different from my own, searching for things that would tell me when I’ve become one of them, or if maybe -gasp- I’m already there. Here is what I came up with.

5 Signs that you are now entering Adultsville:

1. Bills. Gone are the days of blissful ignorance as to how the lights stayed on at home or the hot water kept running. Now those infuriating little statements just keep slipping through the mail slot. Phone bill, gas bill, waterworks, eating away at your paycheck- your new pair of shoes! It was a lot more fun when you had an allowance.

2. Your parents are asking you to drive them places. You thought it was your ticket to freedom when you got your license, huh? Wink, wink. Mom and Dad were just waiting for the day when they wouldn’t have to take you anywhere and you could start chauffeuring them around. Now it’s, “Honey, can you take me to the doctor’s on Monday?” and, “Oh, could you stop by the grocery store after work and pick some things up for me?” Don’t forget doing someone else’s errands: “Your sister’s done with soccer practice at 6.” Some kind of freedom.

3. All-weekend benders are history. As are weekday parties. The day has finally come when you realize that Tuesday and Wednesday nights just have to be for sleeping. And that in your older and wiser state, hangovers now take two days of recovery instead of the normal one-day junk food-eating, sweatpants-wearing, movie-watching spree that used to be all you required. Oh where did our beer (or Smirnoff Ice) chugging days go?

4. Better sex. This may be one of the few perks of being an adult. Maybe your libido isn’t what it was when you were 19 (although for some of us, it’s even better ) but you know more about your body now. You know what you want, and you aren’t afraid to say it. Who wouldn’t be satisfied with that?

5. And last, but by all means worth the most: You are making the choices now. The big Life-Changing Decisions. With no Mommy or Daddy to dust you off and tell you “I told you so” when it doesn’t work out. The consequences for your actions fall squarely on your own shoulders. Most of the time, we’d like to think that we have enough experience and common sense by this point to make reasonably good judgments. Most of the time, we completely miss the mark.

The sign of your newly earned adulthood is your next move- to get up and keep forging ahead, even if you have to wade in the muck of your mistakes. Only little kids get to go back to bed and let someone else sort it out.

Being an adult is not all pink and posies. And you still have the option of staying a kid forever- the path that some people, much to the chagrin of the rest of us, decide to follow. (Cough, Cough, dear, sweet “significant others” going out with their buddies on poker night when their mothers are coming the next day and the house is still a mess.)

On the other hand, there’s a real liberty and sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing you are the one who gets to reap the benefits of all your responsibility and hard work.

…Hmm, yeah. Not feeling that just yet. I guess I’m not quite there. I’ll see ya on the other side. Until then, I’ll be over here on my futon, nursing my hangover with a beer.