'Cause I'm a Grown Up Now

With in the past few months, my friends and I have crossed the threshold from simple college student to grown up. Unfortunately this change (that came along with a piece of fine paper and a mortar board) came about like most birthdays. Have you ever woken up on your birthday morning and thought "oh, wow, I feel a whole year older today?" I didn't think so. Becoming a grown up is much the same way. You see, circumstances say I'm an adult now, but inside I feel no differently than last year.

I've noticed a phenomena among my friends. It started as a phrase that reoccurred among our Facebook message thread in several variations: "Grown-up" "Because I'm a Grown up" "If I'm a Grown up." We're all doing things for the explicit purpose of making us feel more up to the role of being an adult. The amusing thing is that we all started doing the same things without consulting one another and, in the process, inadvertently compiled a definition of "grown-up." Everything in this post has been tackled by at least two of my friends (myself included).

Since I'm a grown-up... I need to own breakable dishes. It's upping the responsibility level to know you can't just chunk them into the sink at the end of the meal. As one of my friends said, "I could have used my own dishes, but I feel a lot more grown-up picking out my own set."

Since I'm a grown-up... I may have to move someplace I don't really want to live because the job offer is too good to pass up. Sometimes the best things for us aren't things we would necessarily choose otherwise.

Since I'm a grown-up... no more roommates! So this isn't always plausible, but those of my friends who could afford to live without someone else, have taken that opportunity hands down.

Since I'm a grown-up... I need a Queen Size bed. Apparently grown-ups do not sleep in twin beds, or full sized beds for that matter. Then we go around referring to our new furniture as our "grown-up beds" (which makes them sound decidedly less grown-up).

Since I'm a grown-up... I don't have to pay for my own laundry. If the apartment did not include washer/dryer hookups, it wasn't even considered.

Since I'm a grown-up now... I need heavy furniture. Ladies and Gentlemen, enter Lindsay's super heavy, solid wood desk. Good luck to my dad getting up the stairs into the apartment!

So there you have it, the definition of a grown-up. I've got to ask, do you fit the mold?