The first time that I ever felt like a grown up was when I turned 18 in May of 1994. I was already working when I was 15 three years earlier, and I was in high school, so I felt that it was time that I “left the nest”. Little did I know that just because I was 18 and where I’m from if you turn 18 you’re officially an adult, I wasn’t truly ready to strike out on my own.
I guess I got a little too big for my britches when telling my parents (God rest both their souls) that I was looking for a place of my own to move into AND I still worked. Next thing I know they’re both laughing their asses off as if I told a joke that was actually funny! Well they both explained to me that just because I was an adult now didn’t mean I could go on out and live an independent life; I still had so much to learn, they said and WAY more to understand, no matter how old you got regardless of having a job.
I may have gotten a little arrogant and cocky about wanting to be on my own and I very much got offended by the way my idea was taken as a joke, but I’m sure my parents took me seriously but they also wanted me to understand that even when turning a certain age there’s still growth and expertise that has to be amassed and there’s nothing wrong with having patience when wanting something, their advice was in a sense worth taking and I did adhere to it and waited a few more years (until 2002, when I turned 26) to get my place and everything has been great ever since.
There’s a big difference between being grown and ACTING grown and the two are as different as night and day and trust me, I don’t want to get lost at any time of day, so I’ve learned not to ACT grown if I’m not ready to BE grown, so I’ve humbled myself to “stay in my lane” when it comes to growing up and not rushing something that’ll already be there when I become an adult.😊😊😊
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