The legal standards are clear. You can vote when you’re 18. You can sit in a bar and have a drink when you’re 21. But when do you actually become an adult?
It can be hard to feel like a mature member of society when you’re cocooned on a college campus or in your parent’s house. In Western society, being an adult is wrapped up in the idea of moving away from home and taking care of your own concerns.
Maturing into adulthood isn’t a straightforward process. Some people will mature much more rapidly than others.
Here are the signs that you’re entering adulthood.
- You Have a Mortgage
One of the best things about being a kid is never having to worry about paying bills. Once you’re slapped with your first mortgage payment, you’ll get the rush of knowing that you’re a homeowner. You might still feel like a child but you’ve officially entered the world of adult concerns.
- You Have to Buy Your Own Health Insurance
The current law allows young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plan until they’re 26. After that, people are on their own. It’s a significant burden, especially considering the rise of the gig economy. A lot of Millennials are working freelance positions. That means that they’re not getting healthcare through their employer.
- You’ve Hired a Plumber
Routine, dull maintenance projects are part and parcel with being a responsible adult. When you’re little, it’s easy to take your home’s comforts for granted. When you become an adult, no one’s going to take care of your problems except for you.
So, when you notice the drip, drip, drip, of your leaky faucet, you have no choice but to fix the problem yourself or call a plumber. At https://www.fixitrightplumbing.com.au/leak-detection-melbourne/, Melbourne, Australia’s Fix-It Right Plumbing notes that “even when you can’t see it- we can find it.”
Leaks can be very hard to find if you don’t have plumbing or contracting experience.
- You Like a Clean House
When you’re sharing a space with a gaggle of teenagers, it’s easy to ignore empty takeout containers littering the floor and dishes piling up in the sink. It almost seems pointless to clean up in such a situation because the area will become trashed again almost immediately.
Once you own your home, things change. Suddenly, you understand why people use coasters. You voluntarily spent your own money on a new vacuum.
- You’re a Parent
Age really is just a number. Becoming a parent tends to turn people into more mature versions of themselves whether they’re 16 or 42. Once there’s a human being depending on you for survival, you have to abandon your childish self-interestedness. It’s the only way that your baby will thrive. The baby’s needs will be constant and consuming for many months.
- You Know Your Way Around the Kitchen
At some point, microwave pizza and ramen noodles every night lose their appeal. As people mature (and their bank accounts grow), they tend to develop more sophisticated tastes. At the moment, it’s trendy to be a foodie.
Part of developing new culinary tastes is developing an appreciation for good cooking. People who never even fried an egg when they were teens can learn how to create delicious, gourmet meals.
- You’re Not Afraid of a Budget
We don’t need to explain why spending money is a blast. Saving money, however, is a much more delicate pleasure. Being able to responsibly handle your money is a sign of mental maturity. It can be really hard to stick to a budget no matter who you are, but it’s especially difficult for teens.
Delayed gratification is a skill that not everyone learns.
- You Care About Your Health
You can eat junk food and skip exercise at any age, but your body feels the effects more as you get older. Once you reach adulthood, you might start experiencing chronic aches and pains. The sense of immortality that youths often have fades with time.
Getting older can be a challenge. You have to juggle more freedom and more responsibility at the same time. However, you can’t remain a child forever. Once it’s time to grow up, there’s no point in delaying the process.
The transition to adulthood can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. Trust yourself. Remember, there’s no guidepost to your life. You don’t have to do anything just because it’s expected at your age.
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Author Bio
Judy Lees is a super-connector with photographersinislamabad.com who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, branding and networking. He frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing, digital photography.
