Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how the 20-something years are the new adolescence. It seems like everywhere I turn, there’s an article about how people my age are growing up more slowly than ever. Oh, and (apparently) we’re also whiny, immature and needy.

I have pretty mixed feelings about all these theories. I think that almost every older generation has a tendency to criticize the current young-adult generation. We do things differently than our parents did, and our lives take different paths. But it’s important to remember our parents did things that were just as strange in their parents’ eyes. It’s a nice little tradition the world has got going.

On the other hand, as a college student, I do recognize that I’m in an in-between stage. Sometimes, I feel very adult and responsible. Other times, I think it wouldn’t be so bad to go back to kindergarten and have naptime every day. Oh wait, there’s naptime in college, too. Having one of those days where you feel like you belong more in middle school than in college? Here are a few tried-and-true ways to pretend you’re a grown up.

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Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist.  She also has a love for cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice tweeted at her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

Maybe it’s just me feeling old, but I can’t help but think kids are growing up faster than ever before. I’m constantly seeing second graders with iPhones, 13-year-olds rocking designer bags and little boys who use more hair gel than DJ Pauly D. I mean, maybe it’s just because the 90s were a VERY different time, but I can’t help but feel like kids today are growing up a little too quickly. That being said, their parents aren’t doing much to help either. Aside from spoiling them and letting them have Facebook profiles by age 11, some parents go as far as to buy their kids inappropriate and sometimes offensive clothing that definitely sends the wrong message.

Check out some of the surprisingly BEST-SELLING children’s items we found:

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Would you ever buy any of these for your child? Do you think kids nowadays are growing up too fast?

I’ll be the first to say that yes, of course life outside of college “ain’t no crystal stair” (thanks Langston Hughes!), but I don’t think some blueprint manual needs to be force-fed down our once matriculated throats. Even though a lot of these sites claim to be “resources” instead of manuals … I don’t see the resources available. Unless these websites can get us jobs, give us new friends, find us apartments that aren’t infested with termites, and set us on the right path to repay student loans, then those resources … well, they mean nothing.

I guess what bothers me so much about all of these ”how to survive as a post-grad” websites is that it makes us post grads look so collectively lost and confused. And not only does it make us look like we don’t know what we’re doing, but it makes us appear like we aren’t making the right decisions. But what I really think is going on is that due to the lovely economy (please note the sarcasm), post-grads are in the media a lot more than before…so of course, self-help gurus want to turn their attention to each year’s most recent batch of needy meat.

In all honesty, if someone handed me a book on how to be a proper little post-grad girl, I’d be pissed. Even though I can get behind some self-help books, I just don’t feel like “self-help” necessarily applies to a group of people who are still figuring things out. Especially when there are a million different ways each of us could go. What ever happened to mapping our own ways? Learning from our mistakes? Figuring things out for ourselves? All this “What to do when you’re a post-grad” crap makes me feel stifled, like if I don’t follow these directions then I’ll ruin my whole after college existence and be doomed for the rest of my life.

I think we can all agree that this post-grad existence isn’t easy. Between the soul searching and coming to terms with the fact that we’re really on our own now, things can get confusing. And scary. And stressful. But that’s for us to figure out on our own. We made it through college (not to mention the 12 years of school before that) so I’m confident that we don’t need some old people at a publishing house to tell us how to make it now.

It’s not going to happen over night, and yeah, that kinda sucks, but there is no harm in going down your own path.

So, here’s to post-grad journeys that just go with the flow and don’t follow some self-help book’s 12 steps. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating this time in our lives so don’t let those frauds make you believe there is. Whatever you’re doing, if it’s right for you, then it’s the right thing to do.

Taylor Swift’s third album Speak Now dropped yesterday (you can listen to it here), and as America goes crazy over her sparkly dresses and good girl persona, the masses continue to talk about the songs and who they are about. However, instead of getting caught up in all that, I think it’s time to call Nashville’s country pop-princess out.

Enough with the good girl, doe-eyed “who me?” act, Taylor – you’re no better than anyone you write about!

Taylor’s career has been built upon writing songs about her encounters with other people, revealing facts about her relationships, and candidly exposing her side of the story. This is something that many people have done in their music and through their interviews. However, they get a lot of crap for it – while Taylor seems to get the thumbs up.

While the majority of songs on Speak Now feature snapshots of relationships and love, there is an overwhelmingly angry tone that seeks revenge throughout the album’s 14 songs. And just like a lot of the people she writes about (John Mayer and Kanye West, to name the most notorious), she dishes … and does so maliciously. Not such a nice girl now, are you Tay?

Getting the most buzz for its undertones is track six, “Dear John.” Obviously it’s about John Mayer. However, if Taylor wrote the song and named it “Dear Dillon” or “Dear XYZ,” I doubt the media or fans would be pointing fingers at John – no one would have put two and two together. Instead though, she wanted to take a private relationship (despite working together, there was never a John and Taylor relationship confirmation) and make it public, ultimately to damn John for his faults in whatever they shared.

How is this any different than what John Mayer is continuously attacked for by the media? Seriously, think about it. He’s run his mouth about Jessica Simpson being sexual napalm to Playboy, he’s openly talked about Jennifer Aniston and the song “Heartbreak Warfare” is supposed to be about her, and his outspoken and outlandish commentary has pissed a lot of people off. All of that isn’t much different than Taylor blatantly making this private relationship very, very public.

Imagine if John released a song called “Dear Taylor” tomorrow. People would be outraged, even if the song was more about his role in their relationship than hers. The media would attack him for writing about her, exploiting their privacy, and who knows what else. Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s safe to say this is how it would go – which seems like a double standard. Taylor writes “Dear John” and people couldn’t be happier for him to be publicly examined in a song, but if “Dear Taylor” existed, people wouldn’t be singing along.

It seems like Taylor wanted to stir the pot. And if that’s what she intended to do, then more power to her. But the whole pretending “I don’t know what the big deal is” attitude is really annoying. She won’t confirm or deny, but makes comments saying that it’s all in the music. Take some responsibility, girl. You wrote the song. You named it “Dear John” for a reason. You wanted to make a statement, and you certainly did. But come out and say it already!

I doubt she’ll come out and clear up the truth though. She likes to reel her line out a little bit and when people bite, she tends to hold them there. Just look at the way she’s still talking about a certain Jonas Brother. Although Taylor hasn’t dated Joe Jonas since long before her Fearless album came out in 2008, she still talks about him in interviews whenever she can. When Fearless originally came out, she was blatantly exposing what songs were about Joe on Ellen’s talk show. Two years later and she’s still writing about him?

Give it up, girl!

But she can’t. She even writes about the alleged other girl in the demise of their relationship, Camilla Belle, in “Better Than Revenge.” What’s the point of doing this besides being mean? This is kind of ironic after all, considering she has a song entitled “Mean” about critics that say mean things about her. Hypocritical much?

Taylor recently told the New York Times that she feels like in her music she can be a “rebel” and that she can “say things I wouldn’t say in real life.” While it’s good for her to be able to have that release through songs, I think it’s time for her to grow up – something she writes a lot about on Speak Now – and walk the walk if she’s going to talk the talk.

Taylor sings “There’s nothing I do better than revenge” on Speak Now, and makes revenge a key point of where she’s at musically and all that just puts her in the same category as everyone else in the industry who speaks out to get media attention, seek revenge, or to cause the next big scandal. Taylor Swift may not have stolen the show at a very public event or given an explicitly detailed interview to a magazine, but airing your dirty laundry to beat of a pop-country song is no different and no better.

Here are ten things you are definitely never too old for:

1. Glitter: Although you got away with wearing glittery lip gloss and questionable glittery eye shadows as a preteen, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little glitz and glam now. Seriously, if Lady Gaga and Katy Perry can rock glitter on a daily basis, so can you. Not sure how to pull off glitter without looking like a five-year-old that got a little too crazy at the arts and crafts table? Add a glittery top coat to your nail polish or go for a subtle glitzy shimmer in your eyeshadow. Want to be a little over the top? Go for the gold in a metallic glittery shirt. Worst case scenario is that you look like a Claire’s employee. Best case: you look hot.

2. Pigtails: Preschoolers aren’t the only ones that can rock this look. While you probably don’t want to be known as “pigtail girl” around campus, going out with pigtails could be a fun and flirty alternative to your everyday hair. You probably had your pig tails pulled up high, so for a more-adult approach to this look that you’re never too old for — sport them lower. Also, pigtails work incredibly well when you’re working out.

3. Licking the bowl of batter: You know you did it when you were younger. Your mom baked a cake and you couldn’t keep your little hands out of the chocolately goodness. Go ahead — dip your finger in the mix. Or, just dig in with a spoon. Or don’t even cook the batter and just go after the cookie dough. You’re definitely not too old to enjoy any kind of sweets — baked or not. Go ahead, no one’s looking!

4. Sleeping With A Stuffed Animal: Just because you’re in college doesn’t mean you have to leave your favorite stuffed animal at home, you know the one that you have been sleeping with since you were two years old. While you probably shouldn’t bring your Beanie Baby collection and your CareBear stuffed animal set along with you, you don’t have to give up your best bed buddy entirely now that you’re 21. However, we do recommend you refrain from setting up your Polly Pockets on your dorm desk.

5. Reading Books For Girls: Who says that just because you’re an English major writing a thesis about Shakespeare’s heroines that you can’t appreciate your favorite book as a fourteen year old? Even though you aren’t writing essays about the importance of Harriet the Spy, it doesn’t mean you can’t go back to those old books you loved. Now that you’re older, maybe you’ll get something entire different out of them. Also, just because you never got the chance to read that Judy Blume novel you wanted to read, you don’t have to give up hope. Read it! No one will judge you reading a book for a high school girl. You can still feel young at heart with each turn of the page.

6. Disney Movies: Every group of girls should at least have a Disney night throughout their college career. Remember how you loved The Little Mermaid so much? Watch it. You don’t always have to watch rated-R movies and crappy comedies about bromances. For so many kids, Disney was a main staple, so chances are that you and your friends will all have your own opinions about the best movies and the best Disney princesses.

7. Calling Your Parents: So you had a bad day in class — call your mom and cry about it. Although you may feel silly calling your mom to cry when you’re away at college, it’s not silly at all. You used to do it all the time, back in the days of glittery lip gloss and tutus. Not only will you feel better to be consoled by your mom or dad, you will make your parents feel like you still need them. In fact, call your parents frequently. I’m not talking about every day, but check in and say hi. Just because you’re out of the house doesn’t mean you can’t count on them. However, I think it’s safe to say that the one time you shouldn’t call your parents is when you’re drunk…all you need is one slurred word and they’ll have campus safety on the lookout for you.

8. Top 40 Hits: Just because it’s 2010 and the Backstreet Boys haven’t had a major hit in a few years doesn’t mean you can’t rock your body and sing along to “I Want It That Way.” In fact, you’re never too old for top 40 hits from back in the day. Remember when Britney was a school girl with pigtails? If not, you should re-vist this because no matter how grown up you are, pop music can still make you feel whatever age you were when it was a hit. Instant nostalgia anytime, courtesy of iTunes and the radio!

9.  Old TV Shows: You are never too old to go back and re-watch TV series’ such as Boy Meets World, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Clarissa Explains It All. In fact, you’re never too old to indulge in the drama of your favorite coming-of-age WB (remember when it was called the WB?) shows such as Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While these shows might be a blast from the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t watch them with as much glee as you once did.

10. Saying “When I Grow Up”: Just because you’re “grown up” now doesn’t mean you can’t think of the future and what you want it to bring you. With the same vigor that you possessed when you were dying for your mom to paint your nails, get excited about the future and when you “grow up.” Don’t be scared to say things like “I’ll get botox when I grow up” and “I can’t wait to grow up and not drink boxed wine.”

“I just cooked dinner for myself, and I didn’t even wish it was dining hall food.”
“I’m paying my bills on time this month – like a real adult!”
“I’m turning into my mother now that I’m out of college.”
“How adult of me! I went to a job interview!”

I can’t lie; I’m guilty of putting this idea of being an adult on some kind of pedestal. In fact, if my vocabulary was monitored like songs played on iTunes, it definitely would have the phrase “how adult of me” or just the word “adult” on the top of the charts. Here I am, dabbling with my big toe (not even my whole foot) into whatever adulthood really is, and I’m making a big stink about it.

For example, when I wear heels to my internship (hello – it’s not even a job!), I check myself out in the elevator door reflection and think to myself “How fashionably adult of you.” Funny enough, when I take the heels off after a long red carpet outing, I make fun of my old-college self, “Oh look at you, switching into your trusty Rainbows – the ones that accompanied you to nearly every class senior year.”

And trust me; you don’t even want to hear my adult-o-meter going off when I do household things, especially cooking. Whenever I make dinner for myself, I toot my horn like I just climbed the Mt. Everest of Italian cooking. In fact, I get so worked up over being this LSAT student by day, intern by choice, and wannabe chef by night, I spend hours searching for new recipes and I make out grocery lists ahead of time, so I can continue to evolve into a ‘real’ adult in the kitchen.

The other night though, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. How silly is all of this “adult” talk. Seriously. So many things that I am now calling “adult” are things that have been the norm for awhile. Like, my boyfriend and I cooked on a nightly basis all throughout college, but here I am, making the same meal that he and I have been making for over two years, acknowledging that I’m an adult simply because I made a meal for myself. Huh? What’s changed? Oh wait – nothing, really.

I have a diploma, and yes, I’m learning the ropes of the real world outside of college, but this doesn’t mean that I haven’t had an adventure or two into adulthood sometime in the last four years, so, why do my post-grad friends and I seem so amused with our new status? I don’t really know, maybe being out of that grungy college house makes it all feel more real. Or maybe society is changing.

Our parents’ generation regarded 18 as being a full-fledged adult. People used to leave the house once they turned 18, whether they were going to college or not, and whether or not their parents were going to support them. It was the way things were. Now, it’s the norm for 20-somethings to move back in with their parents after college, and it’s entirely more commonplace for parents to help financially support their kids – even ones that have jobs and no college debt! When I interned in New York City throughout college, I met so many women in their late 20s and early 30s who had their parents paying their rent, giving them allowances, and helping support their shopping habits. 30 years ago, parents would not be footing the bill for their 32-year-old daughter – no way!

So, does this make adulthood appear later in one’s life? Sometimes it seems like post-grad is the official wake-up call, but it doesn’t mean the idea of being an adult is something that happens overnight. It’s a gradual process, and maybe our generation is taking longer to make their way to adulthood than generations before us. Either way, I still think it’s funny how I can be so scared about “becoming an adult,” but yet so excited to charge into that realm when it feels right.

Maybe post-grad life gives us the best of both worlds – the cushioning of our parents and the exhilaration of kinda-sorta being on our own. Or maybe, because I’m scared/confused/lost/really missing college, I’m just trying to find something to get excited about.

I am the perfect product of a 20-something generation.  I am 23 years old, I’ve graduated college, I’m single and I live at home with my parentals (wow, typing it in a sentence just made me realize how pathetic it all sounds).   I’m doing a bit of freelance blogging and slowly looking for jobs (by slowly I mean sifting through jobs that don’t give me a heartbeat and leaving my energy for the ones I truly love).  Living the dream can be a slow and patient process, but I have the drive to let the dreams settle in.  I want to find that perfect job.  I want to do something I love and as long as it’s going to take me – I am willing to let it ride.

And according to a recent New York Times post, that makes me (and the rest of us) lazy and immature.

The article states (in a rather condescending way, I might add) that it is taking longer than every for 20-somethings nowadays to grow up.  They claim a confident march towards adulthood is rare these days and getting there is happening later then ever: “Kids don’t shuffle along in unison to the road of maturity, they slouch toward adulthood at an uneven, highly individual pace.” Woah. 20-somethings can still read, you know.

The article continued with support from sociologists saying this gap change in generations is called, “the changing timetable for adulthood.”  They claim the transformation to adulthood is: completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having a child.  Wait, does that mean I’m 23 and not an adult (assuming I’m living at home, financially dependent not married and with child)?  Besides making me feel like an ultimate failure, I think it is totally wrong (or maybe that’s just my 20-somethingness talking).  Although it might look like I’m living the same life I was at age 5, I have an education and a future. I have a plan. I am making my way towards the milestones that qulify me as an “adult.”

I am not lazy, immature or shirking my responsibilities.

Contrary to what sociologists might say, our generation is growing up. The world has changed since our parents hopped on the path to adulthood, especially the economy.  With a faltering job market, it’s increasingly difficult for 20-somethings nowadays to jump out of college and find a job.  Also, since it’s the norm to go to college now, the competition is more concentrated.  Back in the ’70s people that went to college really stuck out.  Now to stick out, we have to go to deeper extremes – like getting our masters. Which takes longer.

In addition, we have different goals than the generations before us. We grew up hearing we could be whatever we wanted to be and that we should never settle. Unlike the jobs our parents took – the ones that offered a good salary and benefits for their new families – we aren’t looking for just any job- we are looking for jobs that make us happy, fulfilled. And that takes a little longer.

Does that mean we’re less “grown up”?
Absolutely not.

The term growing up has changed.  Previous generations may have endured more difficulties in making money for their children or not being given the solid opportunity to dream big, but we 20-somethings have that opportunity now. My parents have always told me to, ‘follow my heart.’  Even if that means pursuing a job that is unconventional. And living at home with them does not mean I’m not growing up. Not getting married or having kids by the time I’m 25 does not mean I’m not growing up.

It means I’m taking the time to be pragmatic and figure out exactly how I want to spend the rest of my adult life.

And I don’t know about you, but that seems very grown up to me.

For the first ten years of my life, my answer to the ever-so-popular question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” was always “a mermaid.”  I wasn’t joking, I did want to be a mermaid.  Living in the sea, long flowing locks, a singing lobster for a BFF….

Another ten years have passed, and my growing appreciation for my two, separate, functioning legs has put my PhD in mermaid out of the question.  College graduation is approaching and I am still questioning what I want to be “when I grow up.”  I knew all along my answer would change (along with my major…twice), but only recently has it hit me that the question itself would change too. 

It’s not only a question of “what I want to be when I grow up,” but the bigger question: WHEN am I grown up?!  I know what it feels like to be happy, sad, angry, etc, but what does it feel like to be grown up?  Will I just wake up one morning and feel different?  Will I think to myself, oh, maybe I shouldn’t be wearing purple sparkly nail polish because I am a “grown-up?”

The spark of my revelation you ask? 16 and Pregnant.  Forget NuvaRing, this reality show is my form of birth control.  A new season is about to air (tonight!) and I can finally devote my Tuesdays to scaring myself out of becoming one of those girls.  Great logic, or so I thought… until I realized it would be impossible; I can’t become one of them, I can never be in their situation because I am not 16.  I am no longer at risk to face the perils of teenage pregnancy because of the obvious: I am not a teenager.  However, the idea of randomly becoming pregnant is just as scary to me now as it was when I was 16.  I do not feel any more ready to give birth now than I did when I had braces.  I would still have a heart attack and possibly go in to cardiac arrest thinking about having to tell my parents of the news.

So when is the switch made? At what age will my mind-set change and I will consider the idea of pregnancy feasible, or even desirable? Or, at the very least, not something that gives me nightmares about trying to fit a crib into my teeny, tiny NYC apartment?

As someone who feels the need to have all of the answers, it is difficult to leave these questions unresolved, but the truth is that they are impossible to answer.  Feeling grown up is not part of a math equation and there is no magic light switch to make it happen.  Being grown up is having the ability to look back and realize how much you have changed. (Editor’s Note: And when you wake up at 11:30 on a Saturday and think about how much of the day has been wasted…)

In reality, I will probably not realize I am grown up until I am reading this article to my grandchildren explaining how I once posted it on a “website” on this thing we used to call the “internet” in the olden days. That is, if I ever grow up enough to have children.

In the end, as I analyze the situation I am starting to believe that at age 8, I was wise beyond my years.  Maybe being a mermaid would have been the perfect solution; life would be much easier if my legs were sewn together.

And sometimes amidst classes and internships and jobs and scrounging around our kitchens for something to eat before our 6-hour library run we all have a pang of longing for that time in our lives. The days when we could sleep all day and not feel guilty that we missed a lecture, a study group and a day’s worth of quality homework progress. And then wake up, have mom make us a snack and drive us to the movies (where she’ll buy the ticket).

But while we do have a ton of responsibility now that we are “grown ups,” we also have a ton of new privileges now that the parentals aren’t breathing down our necks. And let me tell you – I’d trade in my Barbie Jeep for my curfew-less existence any day.

We can eat ice cream for breakfast
Far gone are the days of mom force-feeding us spinach and carrots, taunting us with the fact that we aren’t going to get that scrumptious brownie if we don’t finish all of our dinner. If I want to eat a bag of chips and chocolate cake for lunch, then I’m going to and there’s no one to stop me. Major plus for the grown ups.

We can live in a pigsty
When you played with your toys your mom would inevitably come in screaming that it looked like a tornado had ran through the room. Then she counted down from ten as you jumped into action picking up all of our Barbies and Beanie Babies. Not anymore. Want to toss your jeans over there? Done. That empty cereal bowl on the couch? Totally fine. (That is…until she comes to visit.)

We can do whatever we want, when we want to
As a kid you basically have someone telling you what to do at all times of the day. You go to school from 8-3, have a snack while you watch some cartoons, do your homework, have dinner and are in bed by 9 pm, sharp. There is really very little room for negotiation and when you tried, you’d only end up getting yelled at later when your mom came into your room and saw you playing with your stuffed animals on the floor. Now we have the freedom to decide what we want to do and when we want to do it. If we want dinner at midnight, we can. If we want to go to bed at 3 am, we can. Even if it’s at someone else’s house.

We can pick out our own clothes
I will never forget the embarrassment that was picture day when my mom made me wear a Mickey Mouse turtleneck and a pair of overalls. That picture still sits above the TV in my parents’ living room and it is a constant reminder of how good it is to decide on my own fashion fate these days. Oh you think that zebra print v-neck is cute, mom? Get it for yourself. I’m all about this low-cut LBD…and you can’t stop me!

We don’t believe ridiculous lies
Yes, Santa and the Easter bunny are awesome, but it’s also ridiculous that anyone would believe a fat man in a red suit jumps down every chimney in the world in one night. Or that TV rots our brains. Or that bread crust will make our hair curly. As grown ups, we are enlightened on the big joke that all the adults have been playing on us and make up some lies of our own (“Yeah mom, I’m just staying in this weekend to study for the big exam! What? No, that’s just the TV. Yeah, I’m watching ESPN’s National Beer Pong Championship.”)

We can ride shotgun
How much did it suck to always be strapped in the backseat missing all the scenery and stimulating conversation in the front seat? Yeah, waving to those fools behind you from the back of a station wagon was fun, but now you get radio control/to your destination without wanting to barf.

We can swear
When you utter your first forbidden four-letter word, the room becomes silent. Before your parents freak out. They don’t want to be known as the couple that has the kid who curses. You’ll never be invited to play dates with that filthy mouth! Now when you let some profanities slip, it really isn’t that big of a shocker. And even if it is, what can your parents really do about it?

"If I clean this toilet I can have a beer tonight."

I’m constantly amazed at how challenging it is to be an adult. It’s like everyday there’s something new I have to do that won’t get taken care of unless I actually take the initiative to do it.

I’ve basically had to turn into a parent for myself in order to get anything done. I remind myself to do things repeatably even though I heard myself the first time, I nag myself incessantly to do gross chores around the apartment, and I even discipline and reward myself with a behavior chart I keep on the fridge. Five gold stars mean I can go out for happy hour on Friday.

I’ve recently put myself in time-out (spent all day on the couch watching whatever Sandra Bullock movie TBS plays) for breaking curfew and I’ve lectured myself about not taking vitamins when I started sniffling last week. I’m at the point that I think my actual mother feels left out when she calls because I’ve already covered her territory. She calls expecting an opportunity to nurture (tell me what to do) and instead she gets a co-parent complaining about misbehavior and paying the cable bill on time.

While I’ve enjoyed being a parent to myself and ending each night with a warm glass of milk and Goodnight Moon, I’ve started to wonder when I will transition from being a faux-adult to being a real one.

Will I ever take care of myself just because I want to or will I spend the rest of my life threatening myself to either eat broccoli or suffer the consequences (No Hulu in bed)? Does scrubbing the toilet ever get exciting or will it always be something I’ll do while gagging and whining? When will I feel compelled to change my sheets on a regular basis and not just when I spill cereal on them?

I don’t know. Hopefully not soon because I’m really enjoying earning gold stars on my discipline chart (finished all my work for today = 2.5 stars). And I’m really looking forward to treating myself on mother’s day – after all being a parent is hard work and it will be nice to get a day dedicated to myself.