A Real Adult

 I have always heard the phrase that once I graduate school I will become a real adult. While I was you ger I never thought of it as much, but here in senior year, it has been on my mind much more. When I was younger my parents made it all seem so easy. My meals were taken care of and I was always on time to sports practice. In my mind, I had created a perfect picture of what life was supposed to look like. That has been fractured slightly as I have gotten older. I see that the picture has a few cracks in it. I have learned about family drama as I have gotten older. Things from my childhood have been recontextualized into much more complicated events. I now see that my other and father do not always get along. I have seen my heroes and idols of my childhood turn out to be not who I thought they were. I thought everyone had it all figured out, but as I get older I see that most people are complicated. I see that some people are hanging on by a thread financially or emotionally. Over the course of the last year, I have debated how I want to set up my future household when I become a “real adult”. This has led to some very interesting and enlightening conversations with my parents. These talks have opened my eyes to how hard it can be to be an adult. During the course of those conversations, my mother asked me what they did that had made me the most happy. I had to sit and think for a moment. At first glance, it seemed like a simple question, but I was not sure how to answer it. We had been talking for a while and I told her I would think about it. The next morning when I woke up I went to talk to her. My answer to her was simple. Whenever I needed my mother and father they were there. She was surprised by the answer. I was surprised at how simple the answer was as well. Anytime I was afraid as a kid or worried or angry my parents were there to tell me it was all going to be okay. As I got older my father and I had some hard conversations about mistakes I couldn’t fix. He was there for me and he was honest with me. I found it brought me a level of comfort which helped me to grow up happy. I can only hope to do the same for my own one day.

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