With the end of the spring semester quickly approaching, one cannot help but to think about the future. Whether you are awaiting the start of the next semester or entering the real world after graduation, the future can be scary.
Shonda Rhimes once said, “We’re adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?” I can’t help but wonder, when did I become an adult or if I really ever became one.
How does someone go from a child to an adult and who makes that decision? As I get older and prepare to enter my last semester at Monmouth, I wonder what the criteria is for being an adult. For some reason, it seems as though the criteria is different for every individual. Something that might make one person an adult might not for someone else. This inconsistency causes one to wonder what is so special about being an adult.
Some of us became adults at a young age either because that is how our families raised us or because of the circumstances surrounding our lives. Other people are just now on their own for the first time, and some are still trying to figure out how to survive. No matter where you are in your life, it is okay.
Some would consider college students adults, and others would not. I understand why, but there a seesaw on whether one is an adult or not. Either you are an adult or you are not. The line between adulthood and childhood that college students must balance often blurs not only for those attending college, but also for professors and family members.
When you are a child, your biggest concern is what your family is cooking for dinner. If that were my biggest concern today, life would be a whole lot easier. Us college students are now faced with having to manage our time between work and school and play, something that had always been managed for us before. We have to worry about paying bills, keeping our living space clean, and where our next meal is going to come from. Children have things scheduled for them. While adults pay taxes and bills, children do not have that concern.
While maintaining these responsibilities, college students are also supposed to live their lives to the fullest. They are supposed to go to parties and maintain good grades all while preparing for the rest of their lives. College students are on their own only part of the year; the other parts, students live with their families.
Going from living on your own to living under supervision can be hard. Family members are constantly asking where you are going, when you will be back, and whom you are going out with. This can take a lot of getting used to as when students are living on their own, they don’t have to answer to anyone.
The question was when and how do I think we become adults: well, I guess it is up to you. There is no set timeline for when this happens. You get to decide how and when it does.
Life is a journey that you get to take at your own pace. Don’t rush to be a full blown adult if you don’t have to because from the looks of it, it isn’t all it’s cranked up to be.
IMAGE TAKEN from USAToday.com
