Yes, we all know when you hit 18 you’re an adult in the eyes of the law, but is there an actual age when you start to feel like a proper grown up? Various surveys over the years have tried to pinpoint this magic age, coming in from anywhere between 26 and 30.
It’s no surprise that people feel they need more time to grow up these days, especially as house prices rocket and ‘adult’ children end up living with their parents into their 30s. However, at the ripe old age of 45, I still have my moments when I realise I still haven’t got the hang of this grown up lark.
On the outside, I look like I’ve got it together but peel back the layers and you’ll sometimes find a resentful teenager, who doesn’t want to deal with the pressures of real life! With this in mind, I decided to compile a list of those things that prove I’m a finally an adult, and no longer a clueless twenty-something
Staying up an extra two hours makes you feel like you’ve been out all night on the lash
The ultimate weekend involves a nap in the afternoon, while someone cleans your house
You love nothing more than following a new recipe and have all the kit. Lime zester? Check. Apple corer? Check. Spiralizer? Check!
A trip to the supermarket without the kids is like going to Disneyland. You can take as long as you like, even browse the clothes aisle or have a coffee in the café. Does life get much better than this?
You manage to put up a new light/mend the dishwasher/hang a picture without calling for your dad or paying for someone to do it for you
You have a dedicated place to put your keys
You spend time working out whether it’s worth wearing heels to an event, calculating how long you’ll be actually standing in them
You’ve had the same haircut for the last 10 years. If it ain’t broke…
In your handbag, you’ve got plasters, tissues, a diary (yes, you like to write things down a lot), a pen and lip balm. Always lots of lip balm.
You join the kids on the trampoline only to instantly regret not wearing a Tena Lady
Most of the photos on your phone are of your kids or pet
Buying a new sofa sends you into giddy delight
You’ve started squinting at menus, books, newspapers – but it definitely doesn’t mean you need glasses
The idea of a festival is in theory great. In reality, the thought of smelly toilets and all those people are just your idea of hell (with added mud)
You now totally understand what your parents meant when they used to say to you ‘You’ll understand this when you’re older’
For the life of you, you just don’t understand why Little Mix don’t wear more clothes
You spend more than a fiver on a bottle of wine
You frequently lament the rising cost of public transport. Plus, you tell people on the train to ‘move down’
Bags for Life are literally bursting out of your drawers
You actually look forward to bedtime
You’ve tried haggling in a shop for a bargain
Birthdays don’t bring quite the joy they used to. No, there’s no need for that many candles on a cake…
You order a side salad with everything when eating out (well that cancels the chips and pudding doesn’t?)
You finally realise that all this time the ‘grown ups’ in the world haven’t had a clue what they’re doing and were winging it just like you!
I have had the prescription for months – but anxiety about all the scare stories around strokes/breast cancer etc made me hold off. But the deciding factor was the menopausal day from hell.
