Growing Up isn't getting married.

Something I always wanted to do when I was little was grow up. I think that’s all every child is and I honestly don’t know why, since it’s probably the worst and hardest thing in the world. Some people never overcome it, and while I’m still definitely not there 100%, I’ve realized over the past couple of days what growing up actually is, and how it feels.

Growing up is not having a baby and thinking that it makes you grow up because it doesn’t. My sister is a whole 30 years old, has 4 children, and still does not realize any sort of concept of growing up, and my mom will more than likely still be supporting her at the age of 50. Growing up is not getting engaged because you’ve been dating near a year or over and “that’s what you think you should to for excitement and to grow up.” That’s far from growing up, and you should only get engaged because you have the full intent of wanting to marry and spend the rest of your life with that individual.

Growing up is not getting that credit card and going apeshit on it, expecting a grant that’s supposed to go towards school to pay it off. It’s not deciding to get that gigantic TV package because you think you need it. It’s not deciding to buy yourself an “early birthday present” consisting of that new line of Kate Spade bags that cost roughly $350. It’s not paying off credit with credit.

Growing up is a trial. Growing up is realizing that you’re not the only person involved in your life, other people are involved to. Growing up is realizing that even when your significant other fucks up, that’s not a reason to leave them. They’re going to go through problems in their life too and if you truly love them, you’ll stick with them through those problems like they have with you. Growing up is realizing you’re going to have to take out another loan for school because your parents aren’t going to pay for your school anymore and you lost that grant that you thought was no big deal. Growing up is paying off that credit card after you went apeshit and realizing that it’s more than half of your paycheck and it’s almost impossible to pay those bills now. Growing up is realizing you only need what’s necessary for you to live.

We, as a country, take too much into the little things. You don’t need that Kate Spade bag. You don’t need to have that expansion TV package that costs $200 a month. Growing up is realizing that these things are accomplishments. You should get those things if you can afford them, not because you think you need it and are having someone else pay for it. So when you graduate from college, pay off all those student loans. Screw getting that new car if you have a car that works and gets good enough gas mileage, you don’t need it. Buy that house if you can afford it, but make sure that you can afford to pay off all of those things. Pay off all your debts in life with that hard-earned money. Don’t make the mistake of letting material items take place over the debts you have in life.

That, in my opinion, is growing up.