We go through grade school thinking that life is rough, but then we get in to college and post grad life and realize that we had NO idea what "rough" was when we were 15. By this point, it's too late to get most of the items below at our disposal, so it's nice to sit down and reflect on things that we completely took for granted.
Here are 20 small things we don't appreciate until we are in college, in our 20s and beyond.
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1. Home-cooked meals.
Whether your parents make it or your friends make it, any cooked meal that you didn't have to make is basically the best meal ever.
2. Naps.
Even if they are only 30 minutes long.
3. Snow days.
Especially in college.
4. Food places that are open past 11 p.m.
We would have never known it in middle school, but nothing tastes better than pizza at 2 in the morning.
5. Friends from high school that still keep in touch.
An extra thumbs up for the ones that you actually spend time with over holiday breaks.
6. New friends that don't judge your weird past.
Because, chances are, they are probably just as weird or even weirder than you are.
7. A good drink on a Friday night.
Paired with a great group of friends, of course.
8. Sleeping in on a Saturday morning.
Who knew we would cherish snuggling up in our beds until 11 a.m. so much?
9. Stargazing.
Being able to look up at the stars can put our crazy lives into perspective and bring us back down to earth if we're feeling up in the clouds.
10. Taking a break to step outside for a breath of fresh air.
"Sometimes you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be." — Unknown
11. Vacations.
We never knew how much a break from the real world was needed until we actually entered the real world.
12. The adult jokes in SpongeBob.
But the best part is, SpongeBob isn't the only show with underlying meanings that is supposed to be made for children.
13. Nights where you can watch a million hours of Netflix.
Before, we watched Netflix because we had nothing better to do. Now we watch it because we have everything else in the world to do.
14. The value of money.
Remember the good ol' days when $100 felt like a lot of money? Now, we know that $100 can barely get us one textbook.
15. No curfew with the option of going to bed early whenever you please.
Sometimes we want to stay up until 3 a.m., and sometimes we want to go to bed at 9 p.m. Having the freedom to do either is one of the best parts about adulthood.
16. Coupons.
When you make your own money and spend your own money, saving every cent with coupons no longer becomes an option. It becomes a necessity.
17. The value of family.
We don't live with our families anymore, and for whatever reason, that makes us closer with them than ever before. We count down the days until we can see them again and enjoy their presence more than anything.
18. Holidays.
So many things intertwine here. Family, home-cooked meals, sleeping in. ... The holiday season is the best season of the year.
19. "Free" insurance.
Until the age of 25, most of us are safe under our parents wings when it comes to insurance. When we pay our own insurance, we really start to miss the days of not paying it.
20. Free housing and schooling.
Relatively speaking, grade school and living at home was basically free. We leave college with gaping holes in our wallets because bills, rent, groceries and tuition really adds up.
