I don't know if it's because I'm out of the house or if it's because I'm not with my parents anymore, but I've realized that "adulting" isn't that great.

We, as millennials, have coined the term "adulting" to be this cool thing that we do when we pay our first bill or do things on our own without parents, but is that it? Is that all it takes to "adult"? Because after these two months of being parent-free, rule-free and no curfew, I still don't know how to adult. I'm not sure what I'm doing; I don't have the opportunity to just call my mom and say "hey I'm lost, what do I do?"

Friday, June 14th will mark the first time I'm going to have to pay rent, and various other bills that go with running and keeping a home. In addition to my rent, now that I've re-established a phone into the mix, I now also have a phone bill to pay. I also then have my Netflix, my Apple Music, gas, food and other female related items (tampons, panty liners, makeup, perfume) to pay for. Then, on top of all those responsibilities, my dad is also going to change the title of the car to my name, that way I am the one fully responsible for my car.

So, now I've got the working and paying bills part of "adulting" factored into my life, but am I "adulting"?

No.

I'm not.

I'm just doing what the average person in America has to do. It's not "adulting" it's simply working and paying bills to get by and hopefully saving enough money to do the other things I want to do.

"Adulting" to me, happens when you're living comfortably, understand what responsibilities you have, have your sh*t prioritized correctly and still have money left over to splurge on yourself every now and then.

Until you are fully responsible for yourself, you are not "adulting." Until all of your bills are being paid by you, you're feeding yourself, you're not under your parents and your decisions are purely your own, you are not "adulting."

"Adulting," although I do believe it's something to be proud of when you achieve it, it can be stressful. It's not this simple, stress-free term that we've associated it with. If your parents are like mine, they are going to let you struggle and find your way before lending you a hand for help. Which, although it sounds rough, I know I'll be a better person because of it. They're going to give me the chance to learn from my mistakes before stepping in to help correct my missteps.

I'm in the process of getting various parts of my car fixed and my dad bought the parts and paid to get my front brakes fixed. And now the back brakes I asked him if we could go halfsies—he pays for the parts and I'll pay for the maintenance.

To say I was "adulting" would be a flat out understatement. Yes, I'm doing a lot of things on my own, but I'm not fully without the assistance of my parents—and that's OK. I'm not rushing to be completely on my own because I know I still have lessons to learn and valuable wisdom to gain from my parents.

"Adulting" is an accomplishment, but don't rush it. Living under your parents rules may suck but take the opportunity to learn from them. Talk to someone who was forced out of their home; ask how they manage certain aspects of their lives because you're gonna need as much help as you can get when you're finally out on your own.

Until your day comes, appreciate everything your parents have given you and everything they will continue to provide for you. They do the weird things they do because they love you.