In July, I moved out of my mom's house in Fayetteville to live with my friend and my boyfriend in Monticello. NOTHING could have prepared me for this huge change in my life. I remember I told my mom "I don't wanna be grown!" She pushed me towards it anyway! If you are considering moving out of your parent's or guardian's care, there are a few things you'll learn, especially if you are living with other people.

For sure, my first lesson was that my mom and grandmother aren't so crazy after all. I used to hate that my grandmother didn't let us eat in the living room or leave pens or pencils in the couch. Whenever Momma would nag me about leaving my trash out on the table, I would get super annoyed. When Grammi made me go back and rinse out my dishes, I'd huff and puff as I trudged to the sink. Now, I have become Momma and Grammi. I found myself getting extremely annoyed with one of the guys for not rinsing out their dishes. When I realized how snappy I was getting over the dishes, I realized that I owed my mom and grandmother a huge apology.

While you do learn about other folks, you also learn so much about yourself. I'll never forget how irritated I got when the food that I had thought about all through classes was gone. I was all kinds of annoyed, and even asked which of the guys ate it. It wasn't until later that night until I realized something about myself. "Deavon, you're kind of selfish." Talk about shame! When I realized how much of a fuss I made over a few morsels, I felt terrible. I had always thought of myself as a giving person, but shoot, after that, I wasn't so sure. I was upset until I remembered what my mom said a few years ago. She told me that I would most likely have problems having a roommate simply because for the whole of my life, I haven't had to share very much. I never had to share a living space with a whole other human. At first, I was thinking "Ah, sharing is simple! We did that as kids!" Well, guys, sharing is far from simple. I have had to kind of monitor how I am when it comes to my attitude towards sharing food, space, and other things.

I have done a lot of growing up since moving into an apartment. I've paid my first bill, applied for my first real job, made several actual dinners (actual as in Ramen came no where near anyone's plates), and done so many household chores that, thanks to the folks that raised me, I wouldn't have ever been able to do had I not been taught. Now there are times when I get fed up. I get tired of having no money because bills demand to be paid. I get fed up with the guys I live with sometimes. I even get tired of being here some days. But at the end of the day, knowing that I am growing up and taking responsibility for myself, living with one of my best friends and my awesome boyfriend, and of course having a cat and a place to call my own makes up for it.