Being Grown Up Isn't for Kids

Remember when you spent your younger days wishing that you were old enough to do all of the fun things that you saw all of the older people do? It appeared to be so much fun. You could do anything that you wanted to. You didn't have to worry about curfew. You could go to all of those seedy little fun places that only grown ups get to go to. You could spend the whole day free from anyone nagging you, or bossing you around. You could wear what you wanted, eat or drink anything that pleased you and you could sleep all day if you would like to. Now for a reality check!

Now that you have surpassed the age of all of your prior fantasies, we shall talk about what really happens when you grow up.

Doing anything that you would like to might be possible, if you live on an island alone! The reality is there are obligations and expectations in most of our routines of daily life. Living alone means that you must wake yourself up in time to get to work. Scary stuff, huh? Wait a minute! You need to get up for a job on time, but first, you need to find that job.

Mother will not pour your juice or make your eggs, so you will probably grab a bag of crumbled chips out of the cupboard and drink the last couple of gulps in that opened soda left by your unmade bed. I realize that you, in your state of nirvana, didn't plan on making a lunch so you will have to spend your hard earned money for lunch or starve.

Your boss looks at his watch as you run through the door pulling up at the pantyhose that are sliding down your rear and are creeping downward with
each step. His brow furrows and he wiggles his finger and motions for you to head over to his office. Isn't freedom wonderful?

Your lunch is cold , dried out and gulped down in ten minutes because you have a to pick up your boss' dry cleaning as a favor to make up for the
ten minutes that you were late this morning. Hmmm, so much for not being bossed around. The good thing is that if you want to pay for more dried out expensive lunches eaten in ten minutes, you must show up and do it all over again tomorrow. I forgot to mention that this is only if you intend to pay your rent or your car payment this month.

Back to the subject of being free of any curfews. Heck, you can stay out as long as you want to. The only problem I can see is where to go to express your independence? OK, let's assume that you want to sit in a restaurant all night. Go for it. Just make sure that you have plenty of toothpicks to prop open your eyes after midnight. You just may not like the way your face is resting in your plate of pancakes and eggs. Chances are that Mom won't be there to wake you up in the morning so you can go to your grown up job where there are no bosses and no one nags.

We could head off to the beach where you have always dreamed of watching the sunrise. Sitting there on the cold, damp sand in the foggy night, itching sand in the crotch of your pants isn't quite what you imagined at sixteen, especially when the Beach Patrol drives by and shines their light on you while shouting that the new law states that all public beaches close at ten o'clock p.m. Next?

Having nothing better to do at the ungodly hour of just before midnight and not being able to find anyone to hang out with anyhow, you head home yawning uncontrollably. That's OK, your palace awaits. You climb the stairs leaking sand all over the hallway and remember that in your endeavor for freedom you forgot to let out the dog. Going through the door you step in something foul and head off to get some paper towels while trying to ignore the yelps and licks surrounding you as you hit your ankle on something in the middle of the floor where it has no business being. Finally, the doggie -doo is cleaned up, the dog has been walked and is sleeping. You wash the dishes piled up in the sink and take out the trash. The floor will have to wait until tomorrow. You scrape all of the dog hairs off the sheets before you wearily lay down and pick up that hated alarm clock. You close your eyes and look forward to another day of freedom and being adult tomorrow. Wait! You climb back out of bed and shake the sand out of your pants and hang them carefully over a chair, realizing that your laundry hasn't been done in two weeks and you will have to wear them again to the office tommorrow. Isn't being a grown-up wonderful?