This post is not well thought out or
organized, and the bullets are in no way in matching formats or anything,
because I’ve added to these lists over a few days as things come to me.
Things that make me feel like I’m faking
this whole “being a grown-up” thing:
- Listening to Christmas music on Pandora all day. Specifically, reading legislation while listening to the Chipmunks
- How often I burp
- How often I go without pants when at home
- I have a stuffed cow that joins me in bed when Andy doesn’t
- How incredibly silly Andy and I are when we’re alone together
- I would rather watch Christmas movies – specifically, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Elf, The Santa Clause, or Christmas Vacation, in that order – than almost any other movie
- The part where I found out today that I wasn’t supposed to be paying into my Health Savings Account all year, as I switched health insurance plans a year ago. Apparently, this is a no-no, and I have no idea how to fix it (yes, I emailed my HR person.)
Things that make me feel like maybe I
really am a grown-up after all:
- Planning a Thanksgiving menu two weeks ahead of time so I have time for everything
- I started Christmas shopping over two months ago
- I pay a mortgage, and have never paid it late
- Sometimes I remember to make a haircut appointment before I start to look like a homeless Dennis Leary (usually I don’t, though, so maybe this belongs in the other category)
- Making my next haircut appointment before leaving the salon (I did this for the FIRST TIME EVER yesterday. Hello, not looking like shit for Christmas parties, nice to meet you!)
- Supporting local businesses and farms and being able to explain why it’s important
- How much time I spent today talking about fucking health insurance
- The part where the state has said I’d be an acceptable parent, and the part where they’re going to give me a kid
- Being able to describe myself as being happily married
What about you? When do you feel like you’re faking it? When are you
all, “Yes! I’m nailing this grown-up biz!”?
Grown-up:
ReplyDeletePaying bills early.
Sticking to a budget.
Being able to pay for someone else's dinner.
Basically, being financially stable makes me feel like a grown-up, and pretty much nothing else does.
Oh! Things like, buying q-tips or milk or soap before they run out. Having a back up. That makes me feel like an extreme grown-up.
Not sure if I am a grown-up:
Watching iCarly and Spongebob Squarepants.
Not keeping emergency items on hand. Like flashlights and batteries. All of the things my father always stored up. I don't even have bandaids.
I never cook. My family eats things that can just be heated or eaten raw. I can't deal with having a dinner time, eating at a dinner table, following recipes, having a plan, cleaning up.
Oddly, people often ask me if I cook a lot. I am always embarrassed to say no. I am 30, married, have a baby. People look at me and think I am a grown-up. They think I cook dinner and do laundry. I live like a 22 year old bachelor. I have a laundry room. All of the clean clothes are in baskets there. They never, ever get put away. Ever.
I thought at a certain age, when I was a grown-up, it would all just make sense. These things would just fall in line. I would have all the answers. Nope. I still can't ever find matching socks.
Oh my gosh, I totally get that last part - of thinking it would all suddenly make sense one day. Instead, here we are, muddling along trying to figure it out as we go and not let other people realize it.
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