Mom Talk #3: What Turns You Into an Adult

Thank you for coming by!

for the introduction and index of the posts in this 31 Days series, click }here{

Dearest Children of Mine:

Kids spend lots of time dreaming about "when I grow up".  Those dreams are usually about all the wonderful things you'll get to do when you come of age.  Like be a firefighter.  Or a princess.

By law, you're an adult when you turn 18, and in Mom Talk #2 we talked about the reset that happens on that momentous birthday.  But the actual moment you become an adult isn't quite so cut and dried.
The honest truth is that in your heart of hearts, you'll never really feel like an adult, particularly when life gets scary.  The big decisions you encounter are daunting.  Sometimes the risks are terrifying.  When things get tough, there's a part of you that wonders when the grown ups are going to arrive to do the adulting.

The other times you'll never feel like an adult?  When you dream big dreams.  And you should dream big dreams your whole life long.  Part of feeling young is feeling invincible and unlimited.  To this part of being forever young, I want you to say YES.

So if you never really feel like grown up deep down inside, what is it that turns you into an adult?

When you act like it.  When you consistently choose to be responsible and do the things you know you should do - even when you don't want to, and even though you still feel like a kid inside.  This is the secret:  Acting like an adult makes you an adult.  There's no shining, magic moment when you feel ready.  You simply behave like an adult, and so you are one.  And the benefit of all that responsible behavior?  Freedom.  Opportunity.  And choices.  And isn't that what every teenager is looking for?

Next, I'll tell you a stark truth about life that can save you a lot of frustration once you get over it.

for the introduction and index of the posts in this 31 Days series, click }here{

thanks for reading!