15 “Eureka!” moments when you realize you’re actually now an adult

Last Updated on 2016-05-18 , 3:13 pm

Childhood, we’ve all been there. Teenhood, been there too. We miss those times, but when we had all the joy in the world, we couldn’t wait to be an adult. And when moments of “Eureka!” appeared more and more frequently, firstly we feel thrilled, then overwhelmed, then dreadful.

Do you still remember your transition from child to adult?

No more curfew
Remember the exhilaration you had when your parents no longer called you at 6pm everyday to make you go home? Remember how big you felt when you went from “asking for permission to go out” to “informing them I’m going out”? Having more freedom and trust from our parents is the first stage of becoming an adult for most of us.

Staying overnight at friend’s house
After the demise of the curfew, you are bound to stay out later and later. Eventually you start staying over at your friend’s house because there is no more bus service at the hour. And your parents don’t mind. There is no fuss. They don’t care that you didn’t bathe or brush your teeth. And you feel fully responsible for yourself.

First job
It’ll be a part time job. And you are overwhelmed. You make a week’s worth of pocket money in a day, and you think you are rich. Of course, you didn’t have to pay the bills.

Buying stuff for yourself
Gone were the days for begging your parents for money. You have the ability to work part time jobs and get money to buy what you want. You feel so free and so independent. And you are excited.

Dressing less
For the ladies, growing up can mean that your parents don’t mind you showing your shoulder or your tummy when you go out. They don’t like it, but they know you want to look sexy, and they know what can’t do shit about it. You start getting control of your life.

Starting to look for discounts
You earn your own money, and it actually aches your heart to spend it unnecessarily. You can’t ask your mom for money to buy a dress anymore. You want to maximize your money, so you look out for discounts. You begin your transition to auntie-hood.

18th birthday
One of the most exhilarating moment of your life is your 18th birthday. Suddenly you are legally entitled to so many things that you weren’t before. You can watch sketchy movies at the cinema, you can buy alcohol, etc. When you walk out of 7eleven with your first can of beer, you realize with a tinge of sadness that nobody cares if you engage in unhealthy activities anymore.

Drinking
You start drinking without feeling any sort of discomfort or guilt. It will come to a time where your father will drink with you, you struggle to comprehend it.

Nobody checks your IC
They don’t check it when you buy alcohol, they don’t check it when you go to the movies. That’s when you know you look like an adult, even though inside you’re still a kid.

An official girlfriend/boyfriend
Your parents start to encourage you to get a partner instead of killing every boy that touches you. They ask you to bring your partner home for them to know. And you realize that shit just got real.

Opening a bank account
Getting your first ATM card and drawing money for the very first time was quite an overwhelming experience. You are in control of your finance now, and banks are interested in you. It is a big step into independent adulthood.

First full time job
This is it. You are fully grown now. This is what you will be doing for the rest of your life. Better start getting used to this table and chair. You start to think that growing up isn’t that good of an idea after all.

Paying your own bills
It comes a time when you receive your first utility bills and whatnot that’ll consume 90% of your salary. And you don’t feel so rich like you did when you had your first part time job.

You start pretending you know what is happening
Nobody is ever really ready for adulthood. Nobody will be spared the feeling of being  forcefully pushed down a water slide that they didn’t want to ride. But at some point of time the kids in the adult bodies begin to pretend to know how to do things, and that is how they’ll do it for the rest of their lives. We realize that our very capable and confident parents are probably pretending too. They wouldn’t know how to deal with a crying baby for the first time!

Losing your pink IC
Soldiers fascinated us when we’re young. We were so excited for our turn. But dealing with the hectic schooling life, we lost track of time and suddenly, we’re forced into a green uniform and given a rifle and thrown into a jungle. That’s when we realized that unknowingly we have become old enough. Old enough to die when our country needed us to.