Everyone always talks about how excited they are to grow up. Since we were little kids we have always been asked what we want to be when we grow up; the President, a pop star, an astronaut, a chef, a princess, you name it and some kid out there probably wants to be that when they grow up. Now? I want to be young again. If I could go back and be younger, even though I’m only 19, I would go back in a heartbeat. Don’t get me wrong, being an adult is possibly one of the best things in the world and I love the freedom that comes with it, but sometimes there’s too much freedom. I miss the days when you would tell your parents how sick you are and they would bring you soup while you laid in bed watching Netflix, or the days where your parents would pay for all your meals and make sure you’re actually OK. Growing up sucks because you’re responsible for everything, literally everything. You have to make sure that you go to the doctor when you're sick, or to buy paper towels from the store, or make the dreaded phone call to businesses to ask a question. As an adult, I have had moments that suck and personally believe they have made me a better adult.

The first most “adult-y” thing I had to do while at college was go grocery shopping. Simple, right? I’ve gone with my parents and by myself so many times and it’s no big deal. I totally got this. So I go to Safeway and stroll down the aisles grabbing food and my carts getting pretty full so I head to check out, thinking I have everything. I get back to my room and start to unpack everything, that’s when it all hit me. I bought nothing that was actually of any substance, I bought so much junk food. I sat in my room staring at the chips and popcorn realizing that I didn’t buy anything I was actually supposed to like milk, vegetables, fruit--- ya know, actual food. I called my mom freaking out because how was I supposed to take care of myself when I couldn't do something as simple as buying actual groceries. I realized that when I go to the store to make a list and only buy what's on that list. From this one simple task, I realized that it's the little things that my parents have done for me that stump me. So to my parents, thank you for taking care of me because I know I can be high maintenance.

College is a whole new game, it's big and scary and you're literally all on your own. Sometimes you sit there and come to the realization that literally nobody is there to tell you what you can and cannot do, which to me is terrifying. I came to this realization very quickly and was excited about it at first, I mean my parents were never overly strict or anything, so the first "reckless" thing I did as an adult was stay up until 3 am. I thought it was crazy at the time, but looking back on it I realize that was probably the lamest thing I could've done, but it's OK. At first, I was so excited being on my own and being an adult because it was all so new. After being on my own for a little I realized that nobody is holding you accountable for anything, I realized the only person holding me accountable for anything is myself. Being an adult is so thrilling; you're making a name for yourself in the real world and discovering who you really are.

It's nice to be an adult because this is your chance to grow and be something bigger than just yourself. It's your chance to go out into the real world and find what you're passionate about, what drives you to be successful. Yeah being an adult sucks sometimes, but honestly, I think we're all willing to pay the price of being an adult in order to be successful in life. So whether it's doing your own laundry, going grocery shopping for real groceries, making appointments, or whatever it may be, life is also short so just suck it up and do it because you aren't an adult forever.