Growing Up..

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Lee

Lee

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Uberbee
Well, I'm in the final stretch of my 18 years in Childhood. It's now 4 months untill I turn 18 and considered an Adult.

And I'm not liking it!

To be honest, it's crept round bloody fast and it's kinda caught me off guard. I don't think I'm quite ready for all the responsibility shoved onto you as you get older and I'm unsure if I'd make a good role model. it's not that I am off the rails or anything, I don't drink or smoke, I have a lovely girlfriend and a great family. I just feel like I will never mature as I become an Adult. So here I am wishing I just go back a few years and have a bit more fun before all the serious stuff begins but nope, sadly I can't change time and alas I have 4 months left, 4 measly months of which most of them will be spent working at the cinema.

Now your wondering, why make a damn thread just to say your not looking forward to growing up?! Well quite simply I just want to see if anyone else is in the same boat as me or if anyone has some worthwhiel advice, how did you change from childhood to adulthood? Was it made easier in anyway?

Cheers GTP! 👍:)
 
I will let you know what it feels like a month prior to your birthday.

Personally, I just can't wait to graduate. I'm going to be COMPLETELY drunk with happiness when I walk across that stage. That, to me, is the final parting with the kiddie bullcrap that I have to deal with every day at school. I feel like I've already grown up, but am still shackled by my age and stuff. Everyone at school thinks I'm an undercover P.O., anyway.

My prediction, Lee, is that when we turn 18, we will have already been 18.
 
im almost 21. thats when i go from post adolecence into adulthood. i consider 18 still "kid" years. you should too :)👍
 
Omnis
My prediction, Lee, is that when we turn 18, we will have already been 18.
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I'd like to think I'm mature but Laura is probably more mature than me! :lol: I see what you mean though, I've had a taster of what it will be like as an adult thanks to work but yet still I just don't feel prepared. Either way, I'll go down swinging in these last 4 months for sure! 👍
 
I'm just under 4 months away from turning 31 and still feel like I will never mature. I found turning 18 to be fun - one day you wake up and realize that there's nothing to stop you from enjoying life regardless of what age you are.

Without a doubt, I have done more since turning 18 than I did before. Hell, I still laugh when I fart in a crowded room.
 
Honestly though much of getting older in the late teens early 20s seems to be hype, all the responsibility doesn't just happen at once even if peoples expectations might raise slightly. I recently turned 21 and besides being legally allowed to drink (which I don't do anyways) theres no difference, I actually made a major step in growing up when I got my own place (well I got it with some friends but anyways) almost a full month before my birthday, on a similar note I bought my first car a couple of months before I turned 18. Age is just a number and you are still in control of how fast you grow up and mature.
 
lmracer
im almost 21. thats when i go from post adolecence into adulthood. i consider 18 still "kid" years. you should too :)👍
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Actually, that's very true. Most of the kids in my class are 18 now and are hardly what I'd even consider as mature kids, let alone adults.
 
Uh, when I turned 18 I bought two lottery tickets and… well, that’s about it. I lost two bucks.
 
land sea air
Age is just a number and you are still in control of how fast you grow up and mature.
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It's like that line, "You're only as old as you feel"

As has been said, 18 is just a number. You don't wake up and suddenly feel the weight of the world upon you. You go at your own pace and take things as they come.

I did have a similar feeling though, when I was about to turn 18. My teachers in high school always said that once we're outta there the fun and games are over and we'll be in the real world (...and I suppose that may have been true for the few girls that graduated and got knocked up that same summer). Honestly though, they couldn't have been more wrong for me.

In the four or five years since then, a lot has changed, but it's all been gradual and none of it happened againt my will. I've got a totally new circle of friends (I've only kept in touch with 3 people from highschool, and that's only by email), I have much more freedom to do and live as I want, I've got a much more money to toss around, and more expensive toys to play with. I suppose there definitely is more responsibility, too - have to pay bills, buy & cook food, do laundry, the sorta stuff that your parents used to do for you (maybe). But it's all part of the territory.

You'll have a good time. I am. You may not be able to convince yourself of it now, but I'll guarantee that you'll look back one day and realize how much better life is at...20, 22, 25, or whatever, than when you were in high-school and living with your parents.
 
I'll be 21 in november and I dont feel it. I still act like a kid I guess. I dont really want to grow up. I still ride my bike around the neighborhood, dress up for holloween, go swimming, I even have this mortrized scooter that I got in like 8th grade that I still ride. I enjoy all of it so I'll keep doing it along with going to college and I guess "growing up." But I refuse to stop doing these things just because I'm too old. I can picture myself being like 40years old and dressing up for holloween or something "childish" like that.
 
Apparently I am 25, I don't know how that happened. I remember 21 like it was in 2006, scary. :scared:
 
I don't think there is any problem with getting older, or at least feeling older. Maybe its the way I was raised, or at least the conditions that I was raised in that made the passing of my 18th birthday not too big of a deal. I've always had a pretty big share of responsibility in my life given that my parents have been divorced for so long, and that I've always had to take care of my brother, and to some extent my mother as well.

Now I'm not going to say that I didn't have fun in my pre-18 years, they were fun enough indeed. But that said as well, there are a lot of things you can still do after you hit that age. Certainly it won't be as easy to do some silly stuff, but there is no reason why you should give up entirely. I mean, I'm 20 years old and I still act like I'm twelve. I mean, I still watch cartoons every Saturday morning, play Legos and Transformers with my youngest brother, get down with my cousin's friends, and still frequent my old High School if it be for a visit, or to help out my brother with some stuff.

...Sure, getting old may seem like something bad, but I'd choose not to view it as a hurdle in your life. So you've got a new title to add to your name, I'd say use it. Go out and buy a lotto ticket, or some chick magazine, or whatever. There is still a lot of fun to be had... I mean, I know kids at my College who don't act any better than some High Schoolers I know...

Then again, maybe I'm still talking out of my rear. I still live at home with my Mom and my Brother, but I rarely see them. I pay for the majority of my stuff, do most of my cooking and some of my cleaning, etc.


I dunno. I guess I like being kinda old. It means I have an excuse to take a day off, sit around and do some reading, maybe make a nice lunch, and enjoy some of the finer things in life. Maybe its because I've always acted like I was older than I am, but I'm still looking forward to the years I have ahead of me...
 
Im in the same situation as you Bee. I will be 18 in around 3 months and i cant say im lookin forward to it. :nervous: Its not the actual age that concerns me. Graduating highschool and going into a post secondary education does not seem like fun :sick:
 
Aw, don’t worry, it’s all good stuff. :) Sure, it’s hard – I quite literally failed two tests last week (keep in mind I was a 4.3 student in high school), but everybody struggles, so you’re always in good company, and you learn from your mistakes.
 
Its three months untill I'm 18. I'm not looking forward to being an adult one bit. I'd be happy if I got sent back to the 1st grade, I'd be the smartest and probably the second tallest in the class.
 
I haven't matured much these last few years, but boy my parents sure have smartened up.
 
18 and 21 arn't all that. More than anything sad really.
 
I'll consider my childhood to be over when I turn 20, but turning 18 does ask the question will you move out or still live at home? Hell I turn 18 in 3 months and I don't have anywhere to go, so I think that I will still live with my dad but I have a feeling that he will want me to chip in on the rent and other bills, but I would rather do that than move out and when the bills need to be payed and you don't have the money you are screwed.
 
turned 27 in august 2006
it's not the liking of getting older
I just don't care, I still feel like 17 or 18, the problem is, you get a bunch more responsibilities
So you can't **** around, with your parents to be responsible for you
All bad things you do now will be your own problem
 
I turn 18 5 days before Bee and I am looking forward to it personally. Added respsonibilty i know can be a sucker but it can also be a whole new thing which can change perception on life.

So yeah I am looking forward to being 18:D
 
I know what you mean, Bee... I panicked a month or two after my 16th birthday, let alone my upcoming 18th! I just can't believe how quickly my adulthood is coming.

I personally think it's because you're so used to the environment you're already in, and by 18, you really need to get out there into the unfamiliar working world, with all the added responsibilities, as you say. It may seem a tad scary, but it won't take long to get used to. Everyone has to go through it! It's actually much harder than usual for me, because of my situation, but I'll get through it...
 
Bee
Well, I'm in the final stretch of my 18 years in Childhood. It's now 4 months untill I turn 18 and considered an Adult.

And I'm not liking it!

To be honest, it's crept round bloody fast and it's kinda caught me off guard. I don't think I'm quite ready for all the responsibility shoved onto you as you get older and I'm unsure if I'd make a good role model. it's not that I am off the rails or anything, I don't drink or smoke, I have a lovely girlfriend and a great family. I just feel like I will never mature as I become an Adult. So here I am wishing I just go back a few years and have a bit more fun before all the serious stuff begins but nope, sadly I can't change time and alas I have 4 months left, 4 measly months of which most of them will be spent working at the cinema.

Now your wondering, why make a damn thread just to say your not looking forward to growing up?! Well quite simply I just want to see if anyone else is in the same boat as me or if anyone has some worthwhiel advice, how did you change from childhood to adulthood? Was it made easier in anyway?

Cheers GTP! 👍:)
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To be honest Bee, the male proportion of the population never actually grow up. I know it seems to be a stereotype that women like to use for men - but that's because it's totally true!

You mature upto about the age of 23 then stop. I feel like exactly the same person as i was in my early 20's and i'm 35 now. My dad feels the same and he's just over 60!. Why else do you think you get so many 'adults' on a computer game based web forum like this? Grown men like cars, sport and collecting stuff - just like when we were kids. Grown women generally are no longer interested in dolls, ponies or fancy pencil tops.

Responsibility, like taxes, are just an inevitability that become part of your life whether you want them or not - you just deal with them the best you can.

'Adulthood' is always something that seems to be happening to other people, until you look at yourself in the mirror one morning and see an old man staring back at you.
 
TheCracker
To be honest Bee, the male proportion of the population never actually grow up. I know it seems to be a stereotype that women like to use for men - but that's because it's totally true!

You mature upto about the age of 23 then stop. I feel like exactly the same person as i was in my early 20's and i'm 35 now. My dad feels the same and he's just over 60!. Why else do you think you get so many 'adults' on a computer game based web forum like this? Grown men like cars, sport and collecting stuff - just like when we were kids. Grown women generally are no longer interested in dolls, ponies or fancy pencil tops.

Responsibility, like taxes, are just an inevitability that become part of your life whether you want them or not - you just deal with them the best you can.

'Adulthood' is always something that seems to be happening to other people, until you look at yourself in the mirror one morning and see an old man staring back at you.
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That statement and entire reply is very true. I am 29 very close to 30 and I still have a lot of energy and I still feel very young. I still go quading, go to road track events, sledding, bike riding, and play video games. I still even get carded to buy beer. lol Having a very high metabolism really helps too. Age is only a number and your only as old as you feel. The only thing that comes with age is more responsibility....:crazy:
 
Klostrophobic
I haven't matured much these last few years, but boy my parents sure have smartened up.
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Best post in the thread :lol:

Well what can I say? I certainly had my worrying moments, but they didn't last too long. By 17 years I was already helping my family with the bills (only the internet one) but I didn't really ask my parents for money to get my own stuff.
I started working at 16 years of age, I've had like 10 jobs since that time, I moved out of my house and got me my own place for a couple of months and my family has always taken me seriously when it comes to family matters.

I say you don't really feel you're an adult until life hits you hard. It's kinda like a wake up call, it can come to you by failure in school, starting to pay your own rent, or any other situation where it requires you and only you to overcome whatever trouble your going through.
I've met people who still live with their parents at 28, and it's not because they are supporting them, it's because they are still insecure about dealing with life by themselves.

Like I said, life can hit you pretty hard and most of the time, it will hit you where it hurts you the most, but that's why you have to be prepared for that, you can start having a different mindset now that you're turning 18, you can actually start thinking that you are more mature even if you aren't yet. I'll come maybe a litte harsh on this question but:

What if your parents had an accident and they passed away, or what if they had to leave?

It is a tough question indeed and God forbids it happens to any of you, but you never know what how life will flip your cards and you never know when; and if you're still thinking "I don't wanna grow up" or "I wish I was in first grade again", I suggest you, start changing now. Start being a little bit more serious and think of your goals in life. Think how can you reach them, and that will give you a first step to actually worrying about "adult stuff". ;)

I'm 20, but I feel like I'm 24, but even at 24, I'm constantly preparing for a much worse situation in the future, always have a back up plan. it will help you in the end, I guarantee you.
 
When I was 18 I was in my second year of college. You're biologically old enough to have fathered multiple kids at this point. You're just feeling like you're leaving childhood because you've been artificially sheltered from the real world.

Three points:

1) Graduating High School is not an accomplishment. Neither is getting a B.A. degree from a major university in some kind of joke major.

2) Every year of my life has been better than the previous. At 26, I am now having the best time of my life... and it only looks to improve.

3) My respect for my parents has declined steadily since 16 or 17. I have less respect for my parents than at any point in my life. But, my parents are what you would call "well below average".
 
Danoff
At 26, I am now having the best time of my life... and it only looks to improve.
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Not to get off the topic but, I could have sworn, that your profile said you were 19 or 20 a few weeks ago...

O well...
 
Danoff
1) Graduating High School is not an accomplishment. Neither is getting a B.A. degree from a major university in some kind of joke major.

3) My respect for my parents has declined steadily since 16 or 17. I have less respect for my parents than at any point in my life. But, my parents are what you would call "well below average".
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Why is graduating high school not an accomplishment?

Why has your respect for your parents steadily declined?
 
kennythebomb
Why has your respect for your parents steadily declined?
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The older you get, the more human your parents become. When you're a kid you think that everything your parents say and do is true and correct. As you gain more life experience you realise more and more that, like yourself, your parents views are just opinions - not facts. If your views grow to become opposing to those of your parents than you are likely to respect them less.
 
kennythebomb
Why is graduating high school not an accomplishment?
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Because a high school diploma is something that you HAVE to earn. If you're really proud of graduating from HS, then that indicates your goals were never set high and you were not expecting much of yourself.
 
Don Vito
Not to get off the topic but, I could have sworn, that your profile said you were 19 or 20 a few weeks ago...

O well...
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Two words: Global Warming ;)
 
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