When did you first feel like an adult?
Sparkle Wednesday | May 3, 2023
My family is celebrating two big milestones over the next couple of weeks, including a college graduation and a 21st birthday! Often (but not all the time), these significant life events are synonymous with when we first felt like adults.
When did YOU first feel like an adult?
I still feel like I'm transforming and gaining wisdom or maturity. In some ways, I think I was a late bloomer. Maybe I was more like a wild horse that needed to be tamed... Of course, I started to feel more like an adult when I graduated from HS, went to college, got married, moved away, became a mama, etc., but I don't think I really felt like an adult until I lost my mother when I was 35. My boys were only two and 6mo. I remember feeling lost with these two little boys (thankfully, I have very helpful and wise siblings and a fantastic partner). I definitely felt like more of an adult at that point.
I recently read a book that had an ant-like insectoid species in it, the "antineum." The species was undergoing an evolution. Antineum warriors that used to be part of the hive-mind were starting to become 'individual." One of their problems was that they all looked identical, so to differentiate themselves, they began painting their carapaces based on their experiences. Becoming an adult is similar. The experiences we have color us - like layers of paint. They add up - hopefully/eventually into wisdom (fingers crossed). There was no single adult threshold for me. This is a layering process- losing my virginity, getting a car, moving out from my parents home, graduating from high school, then college, getting married, holding my first born, then my second, the list goes on. Deep inside I still feel like the kid I was, I'm just a lot more colorful now.