HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! I am now an actual adult and can be my own person, make my own rules, and do what ever I want... As long as my parents say it's okay. Yes, being 18 is kinda confusing if your parents are like mine, and by like mine I mean normal parents who want to keep you safe. So I have compiled a list of things that are okay to do when you turn 18 so your parents won't disown you.
1. Set a new curfew, if you did not like the old one.
While you might not have a legal curfew, you (hopefully) still have one at home. My parents were pretty good about letting me stay out past mine if I wanted or needed to. But after 12 am, there is not a whole lot to do. So unless you had a completely awful curfew then discuss pushing back your curfew till midnight or maybe doing away with one all together.
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2. Buy some cigarettes
But for the love of Jehovah please do not smoke them. It is gross and you will die. Smoking kills people, we have all seen the commercials that are meant to scare us but actually just creep us out. You know like the dude in the fault in our stars had the cigarette but never lit it, do that. Or just throw them away. But the point is not to support your nasty habit, it is because you can. That and voting are the only real things you gain by turning 18. OH and now you can be actually arrested, not like pretend arrested.
3. Get a Tattoo
Okay so this one might get you in some trouble. You know your parents better than I do so if you think your parents will get too mad then don't do it. Or do it and hide it. But if you were like me you have wanted a tattoo since you made your Pinterest. I got my first tattoo last week. Its a little symbol behind my ear that means life (because i'm a hippy like that). Tattoos are like forever and ever, so if you are planning on getting a XOXO, gossip girl on your butt. Don't. But if it is something with meaning and you don't think your parents will get too mad then do it. Live your life, and do you.
4. Register to vote
I could not care less if you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent or Libertarian, but your get your butt to the tag office and register to vote. It is your duty and right to vote. Like c'mon, you cannot talk about how bad of a state our country is in if you do not vote. That's like complaining that this is the worst pizza but not doing anything about it.
5. Cry because you are now an adult
You are 18 and can actually do stuff, like make your own doctor appointment.
6. Make your own doctor appointment
You are about to go to college and be on your own. We all know that doing a well child check up is out of the shoe string budget. But let's say you actually need to make an appointment for something. You think it's just a call but I'm pretty sure that you actually have to tell them information about yourself, so you might let your mom help you with this one.
7. Make some pretty great friends.
I was lucky enough to not have a problem finding the most lit friends ever. You are now an adult and probably in your senior year of high school or in there somewhere. They tell you these are the best years of your life and honestly there might be some truth to that. It very well could be the last time everyone is together. Live it up, and make friends with people you never thought you would.
8. Clean up your social media
This is not for everyone, but for some of you, this is a very needed thing. For crying out loud stop sharing stuff that is sexually explicit. I don't know if you're employed but if you aren't you wont be, and if you are you are reflecting on yourself in a negative way. Not to mention you are not impressing anyone, and if you are you my friend are impressing the wrong people.
9. Get a job
It might be a summer job, a seasonal job or just a babysitting job but you need a job. You are an adult now and you are unemployed. That's kinda scary. It's not that hard I think. I still have not done this. So nobody tell my mom I put this in here...
10. Realize that you are no longer a child
Yep, it's time to stop acting like a little kid and like an adult. Well, sorta.. Stop trying to place the blame on someone else. Stop waiting to clean till your mom is about to kill you. It's time that you realize that you are not ten anymore.
11. Learn to clean
You might not be on your own yet but you still need to learn to clean. Help you parents around the house, start a cleaning service, it does not matter. But you will have no friends and your roommate will hate you if you can't clean and live in a pig sty.
12. Learn to cook
I hate cooking. I can not cook it if it does not go in the microwave, and then sometimes I still screw it up. Yes, I'm not a good cook but I'm working on it. Nobody says you have to cook a five star meal (but if you do hit me up). Before getting too old you need to learn to cook more than Ramen, or your doctor and your granny will not be happy.
13. Start watching the news
This can go hand in hand with voting. Please don't be the person that everyone hates because they did not know what was in the news this morning. But then again that might just be might be my group of friends...
14. Spend time with your grandparents
Cmon... GO SEE YOUR GRANDPARENTS. You have to take time out of watching Spongebob to go see them. They might not be here for very much longer. As sad as that might be it's a thing. They love you and would do anything for you, and besides, they might have food.
15. Start taking school seriously
If you're not then start doing so. Do your homework, study, read, and take time on your posters and projects. You think the teachers want to take away from their family time to grade your late work? NO. College is right there. Remember that.
16. Start going to the gym
Get healthy. Find a gym buddy and head to the gym. Not because you're fat but because being healthy is important. We are adults now and apparently we need to watch that. But really, going to the gym is fun, and it makes you feel so so great. Give it a shot and who knows, you might love it. I know I don't go enough but adulthood can't happen all at once. You only have one body treat it like such.
17. Get on a sleep schedule
My mom told me to put this here. She said it is very "adulty"
18. Have fun
At the end of the day you are 18 and still have your whole life ahead of you. Live it up, have fun. But remember, you can get in actual trouble now..
While you might have just turned 18, you have a lot to do. Get to it now...
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