In This Viral Reddit Thread, Adults Share The Facts Of Life That Teenagers Don’t Realize
One of your biggest desires as a teenager is to be older, to be treated like an adult, to be able to be independent, but when you're young, you don't realize all of the things that being an adult actually entails.
As much as you might want to be an adult, most adults would tell you that some parts of it are not nearly as fun as you think, so make sure you appreciate your younger years before you have to take on responsibilities.
We Really Do Have Food At Home
Nothing was worse as a child than asking your parents if you could order pizza for dinner or asking to get drive-thru McDonald's only for them to respond with "we have food at home." As an adult, you quickly realize how expensive eating out even one or two times a week can be.
You Are Now The Adult In Charge
Whether you're in your mid-20s or your late 30s, there are going to be moments where something happens and you look around for help from an adult, then you'll realize that you are the adult who has to.
The Cleaning Never Stops
If you end up having children, then you can forever blame your messy house on them, but when it's only adults living in your house, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Did Produce Always Rot So Quickly?
You spend all that money at the grocery store just to accidentally forget about those strawberries you bought and only discover them rotting at the back of your fridge a week later.
Paycheck Problems
As it turns out, a little does not actually go a long way when it comes to money. With things like rent and gas, you don't get to keep much of what you earn.
Finding A Purpose
Rather than seeing this as a negative, though, you could see it as motivation. Take some time to search for a purpose while you have the time, or think about what goals you want to work towards down the line!
Your Body Will Betray You
Getting older means waking up with aches and pains, then simply accepting that it's your new normal. Oh, your knee is suddenly sore every time you go up the stairs even though nothing happened to cause that pain? Great, that's just how it is.
You Really Will Understand It When You're Older
You know that when you start agreeing with parents in a children's film or using sayings that your parents used to use on you, you've truly reached your prime as an adult.
Time, Energy, & Motivation — You Can't Have All Three
There truly aren't enough hours in the day, but even if there were, you'd be zapped of all your energy by 6 p.m. and all you'll want to do is sit on the couch even though you didn't even do that much that day.
It's Time To Burn Some Bridges
With age comes maturity and wisdom, and probably a little less patience. You're not going to spend your limited free time with people you don't have anything in common with or try to put effort into a friendship that doesn't actually benefit you.
You Might Crave Vegetables
Something you never thought would happen in your lifetime, but you might find yourself sitting around one day or staring into your refrigerator thinking "I really want some carrots" or "I wish I had some apples." Act on those urges so you don't get scurvy.
This Sounds Like Too Much Work
So ordering food is expensive, you're going to crave vegetables, and you're going to be responsible for feeding yourself three meals a day? That sounds like way too much work; I'll survive off of canned baby food.
It All Blends Together
If you thought that time was hard to keep track of while in quarantine, wait until you try to distinguish between weeks, months, or years when you're an adult. Those big landmark moments will be crucial for remembering when smaller things happened.
Just Ballpark It
As a child, there is never a time where you don't know how old you are. It matters deeply to you that you are 9 and 4 months old, but once you're an adult, only the big milestones get remembered.
"Ignore Your Teeth & They'll Go Away"
It turns out that all those years of your parents and your dentist telling you that you had to floss were actually because they cared about your oral hygiene, and you should too. Who knew?
The Unavoidable Hangover
You could drink two glasses of wine followed by 8 glasses of water before going to bed and chances are you're still going to wake up with a headache. If you're lucky, it might even last two or three days.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Nobody likes change, but we all learn to tolerate it because it's apart of life. People move cities, friends drift apart, you change careers, everything changes eventually. Appreciate the moment you're in when it's happening.
Squidward Was Right
Just because you understand Squidward, though, doesn't mean you need to be like Squidward. If you're becoming the Squidward of your friend group, maybe it's time to reevaluate what you're doing and force some changes.
You're Still You, Just A Few Years Later
A lot of adults will tell you that mentally, they don't feel older (even if their brittle 35-year-old bones tell them otherwise). That's because you don't fundamentally change that much through your life. You're still you, you just have more responsibilities and situations to deal with.
You Can't Live Off Of McDonald's
Your metabolism, like every other part of your body, is probably going to betray you. As much as you would like to be able to eat an entire pizza for dinner once a week and have beer or wine with every meal, that's going to catch up with you. Build your healthy habits now.
