How to tell if you’re an adult
Even if you’ve turned 18 or are in college, you may not truly be an adult. You may just be an immature person in school.
I have looked around and found some signs that can indicate if you’re an adult or a child.
1. You don’t rely on others to solve YOUR problems:
A common sign of being an adult is you solve your own problems. This means being direct with people rather than being petty, malicious or a backbiter.
Was someone mean to you? Then talk to them about it. Don’t complain to a boss or teacher and hope they deal with it. An adult solves their own problems, a child uses the system so someone else will.
2. You pay for your own stuff:
Do your parents pay your rent? What about insurance or cell phone bills? I know many students who have jobs but just use the money they earn for frivolous purchases such as motorcycles, expensive clothes or lavish trips.
Are you working to earn a living or are you just getting spending money? It’s what you spend your money on that determines if you’re an adult or not.
3. You have your own hobbies, interests and jokes:
It’s not bad to share interests with friends, coworkers or significant others, but be your own person. If you find yourself only listening to music others have introduced you too, or spending money on hobbies others have just to be part of the group, you need to grow up.
Another bad sign is if you tend to just parrot others jokes or opinions rather than form your own. When you learn to branch out and embrace what makes you unique rather than leech off others as a sponge, you are more of an adult.
4. You realize your limitations:
Do you try to do everything? Do you see yourself doing sloppy work on lots of things rather than doing a few things correctly? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you need to learn how to scale back and focus on what’s important. An adult knows their limitations, but a child will try to do everything and become upset when they ultimately fail.
5. You learn to take no for an answer:
A child will get upset when some one says no to them. They’ll blame others and keep bugging people until they get their way. An adult will accept the answer they are given, work on themselves and become a better person for it. If you find yourself asking the same thing over and over again or trying to get a different answer through manipulation, it might be time to grow up.
6. You begin to hate teenagers:
You might be watching a movie where you used to cheer for the main character and now you start to realize how stupid they are (e.g. “High School Musical”). If this starts happening, this doesn’t mean you’re becoming a grump. It means you’re becoming smarter and more mature.
— Riley M. Thompson is in the Huntsman School of Business and is the marketing manager for Aggie Radio and The Utah Statesman. He claims to be the No. 1 Disney fan at Utah State University and will challenge anyone who says otherwise. Contact him on Twitter @RileyMthompson.