ditadinho: 8 Life Lessons You Learn When Growing Up

“Experience is a hard teacher, it gives the test first and the lessons after.” -Vernon Sanders

1. We all realize growing up has its negatives.

When we were younger, doing grown up things looked so much better than the things we were doing. Grown-ups slept when they wanted, ate what they wanted and bought what they wanted. Who wouldn’t want that, right? Life was rough because we had a bed time (which was too early), we had to eat all of our food (which was gross because it wasn’t candy), and we only could buy what we could afford with our allowance (which came in form of coins and cash instead of those awesome plastic cards adults had).

Now that we are older, we all wish that we could go back to childhood where everything was simple. The biggest problem we had at five was the skinned knee we had and the McDonald’s we couldn’t eat. The late nights we spent up make us exhausted at work, the junk food we eat make us fat, and that little plastic card we saw mom and dad use come back around and ask for the money back.

2. We all still have to deal with people we can’t stand.

When we were younger, we had to be nice to the kids our parent’s friends brought over. We needed to share our toys, go to theme parks and go to movies with them. Growing up doesn’t change that. You will have to deal with the kids you don’t like in school when working on projects, smile at rude people when you work as an adult, and smile at your spouse’s boss and their family while having them over for dinner. Why? Because that is the way people “adult” and it makes the world go round.

There is a positive side, being an adult does give you the opportunity to spend your free time you actually like. (There will always be an annoying coworker though…)

3. We all have problems that we go through, will make us stronger…only if we let it.

Everyone has problems and we need to keep that in mind when it feels like our world comes crashing to a fiery end. We all have some sort of issue going on that we need to power through in order to become a stronger person. Whether it be that one heartbreak we all have gone through or that credit card company we say yes to, these problems are in our lives to make us stronger people. Personal, professional, mental, and physical problems teach us just how strong we can be.

4. When life seems to be predictable and easy, it will send you a curve ball.

When we think that we are a strong enough person because our life is free of problems, that is when it hits us. Growing up means that something is always around the corner. All you can do is take the time to count your blessings and prepare for the future without worrying too much.

5. We find out that making our own decisions can be awesome…at times.

Your life as an adult will consist of countless decisions you have to make and some of them (the majority of them) will have consequences. Choosing to go out with some friends on thirsty Thursday will leave you suffering a hangover on Friday morning. Buying a TV means that there won’t be wiggle room for extra bills at the end of the month. Sometimes we think, it was easier to make decisions when your parents just gave you two to choices.

6. We find out that friends can disappoint you.

We all have that one friend that our parents warned us about or didn’t like and for good reason. We all have been let down or disappointed in someone we thought was a good friend. Unfortunately, it is possible that you will be left behind for something better. This is just how people are sometimes and these disappointments will always happen no matter how much you try to avoid them.

On the bright side, your adult friendships may be stronger than ever once you have experience picking out good friends and detecting warning signs before you get hurt.

7. We discover our parents aren’t so bad after all.

When we were younger, our parents seemed like the bad guys. They gave us curfews, they made us get jobs and they got upset every time our grades dropped. Part of growing up is realizing that parents are actually looking out for us.Hopefully, you are one of the lucky ones that is able to establish a solid relationship with their parents during your adult life.

8. We find that sometimes in life, we have to go with the flow.

All in all, we all must just go with the flow of life because it is unpredictable. There are so many variables that can affect the situations we encounter each and every day. The good does outweigh the bad, especially when we all take the time to count our blessings.

Featured photo credit: I don’t want to grow up -Harriet Moar-Smith via flickr.com

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