Do you ever have one of those days where you totally kill it at your job, grab a drink with your amazing group of friends, have ice cream for dinner, and stay up til 2 a.m. watching “Deadliest Catch,” and you’re like, “Dude, being an adult is the best!”? And then the next day you have to pay rent, wait on hold for an hour with the cable company, and spend all your disposable income on a new vacuum and you’re like, “Ugh, when did I sign up for this?!” Yeah, us too, so we decided to make a list of some of the most terrible and awesome things that come standard with this whole “adulthood” thing. Click on the gallery to check ’em out…
Contents
- Awesome: Ice Cream For Dinner
- Terrible: Being On Hold
- Awesome: Watching Sex Scenes Without Your Parents Sitting Next To you On The Couch
- Terrible: Having To Go To Work (If You Hate Your Job)
- Awesome: Getting To Go To Work (If You Love Your Job)
- Terrible: Random Health Problems
- Awesome: Wine
- Terrible: Spending Money On Boring Things
- Awesome: Spending Money On Ridiculous Things
- Terrible: Realizing That Just Loving Someone Isn’t Enough
- Awesome: No bedtime
- Terrible: Paying Student Loans Forever
- Awesome: Swearing Without Fear Of Repercussion
- Terrible: Getting Sick With No One To Take Care Of You
- Awesome: Not Having To Wait For A Ride
- Terrible: Paying Bills
- Terrible: Realizing How Much Your Metabolism Has Slowed Down
- Awesome: Watching As Much TV As You Want
- Terrible: Having To Do Your Own Hair
- Awesome: Choosing Your Own Friends
- Terrible: Taxes
- Awesome: Traveling Wherever And However You Want
- Terrible: Watching Your Favorite Childhood Movies And Realizing They Don’t Hold Up At All
- Awesome And Terrible: Seeing How Much Your Choices Actually Affect Your Life
Awesome: Ice Cream For Dinner
I still get such a thrill from forgoing vegetables for a giant ice cream sundae every once in awhile. Sorry, Mom!
Terrible: Being On Hold
Whether you’re waiting on the cable company or your health insurance, getting stuck in an elevator music vortex is the worst–and something you never had to do as a kid.
Awesome: Watching Sex Scenes Without Your Parents Sitting Next To you On The Couch
When I was in high school someone chose “Monster’s Ball” for our family movie night, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever recover.
Terrible: Having To Go To Work (If You Hate Your Job)
The sad truth is that at some point in your adult life, you will work at a job you absolutely hate.
Awesome: Getting To Go To Work (If You Love Your Job)
The good news? Someday you’ll find a job you love, and the most amazing thing will happen: you’ll feel excited and lucky to go to work every day (well, at least most days).
Terrible: Random Health Problems
Spending time and money trying to figure out and cure all the little things that go wrong with your body is such a drag.
Awesome: Wine
Why didn’t anyone tell us about this magical substance sooner? Oh, right.
Terrible: Spending Money On Boring Things
Seriously, have you seen the prices of vacuums these days?
Awesome: Spending Money On Ridiculous Things
When you make your own money, you get to decide how to spend it, whether that means weekly pedicures, a tarot reading, or that designer purse you’ve had your eye on for months.
Terrible: Realizing That Just Loving Someone Isn’t Enough
One of the most heart-wrenching grown-up lessons to learn, but we all have to learn it at some point.
Awesome: No bedtime
Sure, we’re usually in bed by 10 every night. But we could stay up til 2 or 3 in the morning, you know, if we wanted to.
Terrible: Paying Student Loans Forever
We’ll be having bake sales at our retirement homes to pay off our bachelor’s degree.
Awesome: Swearing Without Fear Of Repercussion
Sometimes the only thing that will properly express how you’re feeling is a big, loud, sputtering string of profanity, and when you’re a grown-up, you can be fairly sure you’re not going to get grounded for it.
Terrible: Getting Sick With No One To Take Care Of You
As a kid, sick days are kind of the best: you get to watch cartoons all day and have chicken soup delivered to your bedside. As an adult, especially if you’re single? Being sick is a tragic, lonely experience.
Awesome: Not Having To Wait For A Ride
Wanna go to the mall? Just go! No more relying on dad’s minivan shuttle service.
Terrible: Paying Bills
What. A. Drag.
Terrible: Realizing How Much Your Metabolism Has Slowed Down
Unfortunately that whole “eating ice cream for dinner” thing is not without its consequences, especially past the age of 25.
Awesome: Watching As Much TV As You Want
Most of the Frisky staff’s parents had strict rules for TV consumption when we were kids. As a result, we all revel in watching as much TV as possible as adults. Three seasons of “Breaking Bad” in one weekend? Bring. It. On.
Terrible: Having To Do Your Own Hair
My mom never even braided my hair when I was a kid, but still, as an adult, I am keenly aware of the fact that if I want to attempt the latest Lauren Conrad hair tutorial, I’m on my own.
Awesome: Choosing Your Own Friends
When you’re a kid, the only requirements for a best friend is that they live in the neighborhood and your parents are friends with their parents. As an adult, you get to hang out with whoever you want to hang out with. If possible, choose people who don’t steal your toys.
Terrible: Taxes
We always wondered why our parents were so grumpy in April. Now we know why.
Awesome: Traveling Wherever And However You Want
Your dad’s obsession with railroad museums doesn’t get to dominate your travel plans anymore. Woohoo!
Terrible: Watching Your Favorite Childhood Movies And Realizing They Don’t Hold Up At All
Oh, “Getting Even With Dad,” finding out you do not stand the test of time was like a slap in my childhood’s face.
Awesome And Terrible: Seeing How Much Your Choices Actually Affect Your Life
When you’re a kid, you can pretty much do whatever you want and rest assured that someone else will clean up your mess. When you’re an adult, the choices you make actually matter–sometimes that’s an amazing, empowering feeling, and sometimes it really sucks.
Now, who wants to eat ice cream for dinner and watch 12 hours of “Parks and Rec” with me?
Original by Winona Dimeo-Ediger