I’m 22 years old. I hold down a full-time job at a semi-respectable newspaper and have my own weekly column. I pay bills, I’m married, I have stepkids. I have a car and a computer, and a 401(k).
Still not feelin’ the grownup thing.
~Tasha
When did I start feeling like a grownup?
The day my father died.
Which left me with no living parents or grandparents.
J.
The moment I felt I was growning up was at a fourth of July party. We were playing capture the flag, in the dark, on some rocks. (As you may have the ability to forsee the future, this could have been a bad idea). Being the rip old age of 19, I had to explain to a bunch of 16 year old that this was a bad idea and that moving the game to some more level ground would not only be safer but provide a better game. After I have convinced them of this, I stoped and reflected on it. I said to myself,
“Oh damnit dave, you know what it means when you’re the sole voice of reason in a group of teenagers. You’re getting old.”
*Silly me, I forgot to add something. I’m 20 now, and I’ve moved out. Now its only been a 9 weeks or so, but I’m pretty self reliant. I have (although don’t own) my own car, my own phone, pay my own bills and feed myself. For the most part I’ve self reliant. Although this has mostly been the case since I was 16. I don’t feel grown up though. I’m pretty stupid and I’m a teenager still at heart. My girlfriend says I act 13. I say good!
I dont’ think I’ll ever feel grown up, or atleast, all the way grown up. Do we ever?
I wouldn’t say I feel like an adult, but I definitely don’t feel like a kid anymore.
I don’t mean it in the “Hey look I just drove to the store to buy this bottle of wine on my credit card” way; I just don’t feel like I have as much energy as I used to. In a bad way – it upsets me a bit.
About 15 years old, when I started driving, working crappy jobs, and mostly paying for my own stuff, plus at least once kicked out of the house, albeit temporarily, for something totally asinine. But it’s not a switch, and there are still times I feel like a kid 45 years later, although having two children of my own has alleviated most of that.
I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I’m 28, only have two car payments left, live on my own, alone 
, and I still get up at 5 AM on Saturdays to watch ./hack/roots and then other cartoons until noon and then I watch Smallville re-runs.
I like cartoons more than “real” tv shows. I’m thinking I’ll be watching Saturday morning cartoons with my great-grandkids if I live long enough.
The first time I ever felt grown-up was when I was seventeen and the man at the auto service shop addressed me as “sir.”
I feel most grown up when I’m sick or the kids are sick. In the former case, it used to be a matter of staying home, having tea and toast brought to me in bed,and watching Perry Mason reruns. Now, most likely, I’m doing the same things I usually do, just while feeling crappy.
When the kids are sick, especially when high fevers or bleeding is involved, it really brings home the fact that you have a life in your hands.
Mine is similar. The first time I really felt like I was a grown-up was when I called the police on the damn kids for blowing shit up in the schoolyard behind my house at 2 am three days after July 4th, instead of out being drunk and out blowing shit up with my friends.