Being a grown-up

At some stage one must decide whether or not you perceive yourself to be a grown up. And only once you comprehend how deep the definition of being a grown up goes can you actually honestly proclaim whether you belong to this sub sect of the human population.

In legal terms, it's fairly easy, depending on where you live. At either 18 or 21, in most places around the globe, you begin your journey as an adult. You can smoke, drive, drink and sign legal documents. And the majority of us celebrate reaching this age, and often times we do things to prove our independence and maturity, which, in hindsight, were not mature at all! We started doing things simply because we could. We ignored our parents' advice, we got ourselves into debt, we made mistakes, and we made them thick and fast. And if we were ever questioned then we would react defiantly and shout to the heavens "I am an adult, stop telling me what to do!" And so often one then ended up doing something regrettable.

I think one can consider yourself a grown up when you own up to your mistakes and take responsibility, true responsibility. One is a grown up when the blame shifting ends and one is true with oneself, about the big things and the little things. One is grown up not simply because one has to now pay bills and work a job. One becomes a grown up when you realise that your actions affect far more than just yourself and you thus act accordingly. This is what makes being a grown up really sucky sometimes, as petulance and selfishness shouldn't be part of the bigger make up of a grown up. (Which is also why I know many so called "adults" who in my mind are mere children)

There are perks though to being a grown up though, as there is to anything in life. The parties, the impromptu road trips, the sex, the freedom to walk around naked in your house, the money, the opportunities that a kid can only dream of. Only as a grown up can you appreciate the truth and honesty of life, and only as a grown up can you see the real value of friendship and love. Being a grown up can be a bitch sometimes, and often I think of myself as a girl, instead of a woman, as being a woman means that I'm a grown up, and I still like partying and acting like a 21 year old. The truth however is that I am a grown up, and most of the time it's so much better than being a naive child.