The Mrs and I dropped off some paper work in our safe deposit box at our bank today. It strikes me that the need to have a safe deposit box is perhaps one of those subtle cues that one is an adult.
Any other things (besides the obvious things like home ownership) that seem to make a threshold from
non-adulthood to adulthood?
No. I’m definately not a grownup. You grow up when you stop playing, and start taking things too seriously.
Buying a piece of furniture that: a) you don’t have to assemble yourself, and b) nobody has ever owned before you. I recently got my first. Granted, it’s only an end table, but purchasing it made me feel all adult and stuff. 
I may grow older…but I absolutely refuse to grow up.
I just turned 21 today
It is quite obvious to those who know me that no, I will not grow up.
Ever.
Wednesday before last the big dogs came down to sniff me out. A day-long meeting that would normally have been a meeting with the exploration boss, but the parent corporation’s President and Exec. V.P. came along as well, as did the Corporate V.P. of Land. They haven’t met me as thier fellow yet and have come to check me out.
Bitch session that I must attend, 'though I’ve little to offer as yet. We’re touching on some flashfire issues here, and, at 47, I’m the third youngest guy in the room. Our side is District Geologist (Wunderkind), District Landman, District Geophysicist (moi), consulting geologist and drilling engineer (who, at ~38, is youngest guy in the room). The corporate guys are in their 60s. Nine guys in all.
We are one of the five largest, publicly traded (NYSE), drilling companies in the U.S. (and, no, we’re not #5 - I’m just being a bit anonymous here). A common front must be assembled for the presentation to the stock analysts next week.
So here we sit, in a glass walled conference room in a high-rise Houston skyscraper, confronting our corporate future, when all of a sudden…
A big-ass Army helicopter chugs into view and stops to hover above the freeway, at about our level. The drilling engineer is the first to break for the window, I think it was a CH-53, but I didn’t allow as knowing that much, as what followed was a complete abrogation of the discussion at hand replaced by much speculation, by all parties, as to what the imagined armament of said chopper (to my knowledge, minimal self protection) might accomplish in the way of rearranging the traffic tie-up at the 610 and 59 interchange.
Yup, we’re all adults here…
Forty-six and I still wince when I’m called “Mister.” But I think I have developed the self-importance and paternal condecension required to be a grownup. But I still can control the on/off switch, so there is hope that I can prevent complete assimilation until I get old enough to have a second childhood. I’ll try to have fun this time.
When you start making doctor appointments for your parents, instead of the other way around.
That is when you realize that even though you never grew up, life did it for you when you weren’t looking.
“Sigh”
Scotti
I don’t know if I was sure I hit adulthood when I stopped reading the comics in the newspaper or when I stopped reading the newspaper completely.
My teeth grate every time I hear someone say “I refuse to grow up.” I always equate that with a lack of seriousness towards life that I find appaling.
Speaking as someone who has had life grab them by the throat and force them to be responsible, I actually found getting married, having kids and the like relaxing. Odd.
Adult things are worrying about when or if you’ll eat, how to afford a place to live or a car, if you’ll ever find a job, or if you ever cure the lonelyness that eats you everynight.
Damn, I was happy to get married.
PS: this is all my .02 cr… don’t get offended.
“You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever”
–no, not Shakespeare, Larry Andersen
Saint Zero said “I always equate that with a lack of seriousness towards life that I find appaling.”
I think many of us that make the statement are very serious about life and responsibilty. What I mean when I say I don’t want to grow up is that I don’t want to lose the childlike sense of wonder or the ability to get excited over new things that the very young have.
I look in the mirror and I look like a grown up.
I look at my daughter(8) and think I must be a grown up.
I look at my life: family, good job, house, cars etc. and think I must be a grown up.
…I don’t feel like a grown up.
There I can agree with you. 
hmmmm…wierdly, i was told that one would never be a grown up until he/she has eaten at a restaurant, by themselves.
Last week I had to buy an actual, honest-to-god suit (my first ever at 30), an stylish purse and a portfolio to display my work for my upcoming job search (to look “professional”). I knew I was becoming a grown up.
Then, the next day, when I put a bunch of trash out on the tree-lawn a couple of the neighborhood kids were sifting through it and breaking old plastic cups I’d thrown out. As you can guess…I had to go out and ask them to stop because it was making a big mess on the street, tree lawn and sidewalk. <sigh> I knew I was becoming a grown up.
Buying big appliances was fun, but just made me feel “less poor” than more grown-up.
I think I’m at an optimum level of social maturity right now. I have my own appartment, I pay bills and taxes, and I do my dishes. But: I love junk food, I often stay up extremely late at night, and the house is a great big mess.
Im working on my inner adult.
Just call me Peter Pan…