Often we like to say, "Grow up" but what exactly does that mean? If you're saying this to a full grown adult, aren't they in fact grown up? We would hope so but since we say this probably more than weekly, its clearly not. Therefore who is the epitome of this ideal "grown up"? Since in fact, if majority of adults are still not grown up, wouldn't that mean that's what being grown up is? Or is being grown up a figure of speech or ideal state of mind. We could possibly hope and wish that all adults will act a certain way, to find out (just like fairytales) its not reality.
Personally, I am starting to believe being grown up is up to the perception of an individual. What I think is grown up is clearly not what grown up means to others. For example, living with your parents like when you were a kid (mommy still cleans your room status and/or you have a curfew) is not grown up to me. Not knowing how to clean up after yourself is not grown up. not being able to make decisions on your own is not grown up. Believing in Santa is not grown up. These are a few things on my list. Then there are trivial things like hanging from the bars on the subway like a kid (which actually is happening as I write this). People will roll their eyes and say, "Grow up". If I could take a photo of this man, you would clearly see he is an adult. What type of an adult? ... Idk. But an adult nonetheless.
So I write this to find out what everyone else's opinion of what grown up is defined as. Is there a clear line? Guidelines? Grown up for dummies? Or is it all in our heads?
I believe that one can be an independent adult that has responsibilities and self sustains themselves but still live with their parents BUT if one lives with their parents there needs to be a clear different between the relationship that you had with them when you were growing up and the one you have with them as an adult. If one of the parties can't accept that then one clearly should not live with their parents. The goal of having children is to move them to independence. That is a common fact that applies to all animals. Parent's that fail in the animal kingdom may have their offspring be killed if they fail to prepare them for independence. In humans(especially American humans) the result may not be death or prison but a child who never really learned how to not be a child..
ReplyDelete