Thoughts on Adulting

From midnight to midnight, my day looked like this yesterday:

Up twice responding to Abraham's urination alarm

Packed Matthew's lunch and got him off to work

Put Abraham's blankets in the washing machine

Sat with the boys as they practiced piano

Served breakfast to kids

Got the boys off to school

Called the insurance company regarding a medical bill

Helped Mercy bathe, then combed her hair

Showered myself

Did the dishes

Got Mercy off to preschool

Delivered a check to the title company as earnest money for some investment property

Went to the grocery store

Got some bread dough rising

Went on a brisk 30 minute walk

Ate lunch

Read my scriptures

Picked up Mercy and Riker from preschool

Made filling for and assembled pizza rolls

Made a snack for the kids

Switched laundry to the dryer

Sat with the boys while they ate their snack

Read with Abraham

Helped Hyrum with math

Welcomed Matthew home 

Put dinner in the oven

Sat with Abraham as he finished his piano lesson

Served dinner

Cleaned up after dinner

Held Family Night

Read family scriptures

Got Abraham's blankets out of the dryer

Read a book to Mercy and tucked her in

Told a story to Abraham and tucked him in

Asked Hyrum about his day and tucked him in

Watched a show with Matthew

Checked on the sleeping kids

Went to bed

Up twice responding to Abraham's urination alarm

I am 36 years old and yesterday was a fairly average representation of my life, though only two of the tasks I accomplished made me think "wow, I did some real adulting today." It got me thinking about what it really means to be an adult. 

When I was a very young child, my idea of an adult was someone who could drive and use the phone. As I got a little older, being an adult consisted mostly of obtaining and taking care of things like food and clothes, and when I was a bit older still, I recognized that adults had jobs and went to work. As a teenager, adults took care of money and paperwork and generally knew about stuff. Then one day, at 19 years old, I put my phone and my clothes in my car and drove off to college. I got a job, bought food, and was in charge of all my own paperwork. I knew the stuff I knew, and by all accounts I was an adult then, but I certainly didn't feel like one. 

Over the years I got an education, traveled abroad, served a mission, worked full time, got married, had babies, and now, at 36, there's no denying I qualify as an adult. But I still don't exactly feel like one. In thinking about this, I've come to the conclusion that "adulting" simply means doing stuff you haven't yet become accustom to. Certainly all the kid related stuff I do was intimidating before I had kids and definitely fell in the "things adults do" category, but now they are second nature and I hardly consider them remarkable. Dealing with anything insurance related still kind of freaks me out, but that's probably only because I don't have to think about it all that often, not because it's a particularly adult thing to do. I've also concluded that there is no use in trying to avoid growing up. This was never a huge problem for me as I've always been prone to be ever looking forward to what comes next, but I know plenty of people who are afraid of the inevitable acquisition of responsibility. I think it best to view becoming an adult as more of a "gradual getting used to" rather than singular point of arrival. It's the ability to simply do what needs to be done, regardless of age or experience.

Just my thoughts.