The Great Parts of Adulthood....

[Jester]

I have had this discussion before with friends, but it is still one that amuses me. Most people think back on childhood as a great time (forgetting the bad parts), and a lot of us wish we could still be children. While there are lots of things that rock as a kid (and many of them I still hold on to), there really are some great things about being an adult. These are the things that make me not want to return to childhood. To wit:

--Money. I am not rich, but I make my own money and, to a large degree, can do with what I want. Yesterday, for example, I dropped a stupid amount while watching football, drinking beer, eating, and buying other people drinks. And had a blast. Years ago I bought my bike, which I still have, which was the largest single purchase outside of a car I have ever made. And sometimes I revert to childhood and just spend my money on toys. Sometimes kid's toys, sometimes "adult" toys. No, not those adult toys--get your minds out of the gutter! One example is I am currently considering upgrading my old used 19-inch clunker tv to a flat screen LCD of similar size (I don't have space for a monster one).

--Driving. I LOVE my freedom. I recently got back from a roadtrip vacation, and I love the fact that I don't have to depend on other people to get places most of the time. Kids don't have nearly this freedom. Also, I just like driving, to be honest.

--Women. Sex. Relationships. Romance. Dancing. Puberty sucks, but the gates it opens up, even with all the bullshit (and there is bullshit aplenty out there), it is so worth it.

--Recreational Substances. It's no secret that I love my booze, especially beer, rum, wine, and margaritas. I love the taste, and honestly, I often enjoy the feeling of being (and getting) drunk. While I don't smoke cigarettes, I do enjoy the occasional cigar. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't dabble in some other mind-altering substances in years past. I did, and I enjoyed it.

So yeah, much of adulthood blows chunks. A lot of us would love to give most of it back. But share with the class--what parts of adulthood do you really enjoy?

[Green_Fairy]

watching cartoons and eating cereal for dinner. it's pretty awesome. the jack and coke makes it soooo much better than it ever was as a kid

[BookstoreEscapee]

No, not those adult toys

Why not? It's one of the perks, isn't it? (Not that I own any...anymore...).

Sex...uh...I don't really remember... I would like to have a relationship but so far that hasn't really worked out so well...


No curfew...not having to ask to borrow the car...

Ice cream for dinner...

(Sorry, I'm not coming up with anything good here... I'm in a "being a grown-up blows" mode these days...)

[blas]

I personally love the freedom I have living on my own.......being able to be out as late as I want without getting grounded and screamed at is amazing....

However, sometimes I do wish I was still a kid in school just working part time and my only bills were car insurance, cell phone, and gas for my car.

[tropicsgoddess]

.not having to ask to borrow the car...

Some adults (unfortunately) do have to ask for that...and not from mom and dad either (roomies, SO's etc).

But here's what I think rocks about adulthood...
no bedtimes

being able to (legally) drink, rent a car

playing video games till the ass crack of dawn

having your own money

having your own place

not being grounded for coming home late

having a final say in everything

being able to watch movies with R, NC-17 and even X ratings with no repercussions..same goes with video games with M and AO ratings.

SEX!!!!!! Men, relationships, friendships and/or friends that can give you "the hook up"

[AdminAssistant]

Sorry, Jest...maybe if I weren't broke, single (and bitter), with so many worries about school and my future and what's going on back home...I'd be able to revel in my adulthood.

Right now, I just want to ride on my bike til dark and have Momma make me dinner, watch TV, and go to bed. :/

[Red_Dazes]

Being an adult sucks... and really I don't ever want to grow up all the way...but I will say some parts are pretty cool!

...Being able to stay up till the ass crack of dawn watching scary movies, eating junk food and drinking soda with out getting yelled at ((as long as the neighbors can't hear though the walls))

...Not having to convince Mom "I'm Sick" when you just need a day off ((not that I do it often but it is so much easier to just call the boss and say "I'm not feeling well" then to try and fake a stomach flu to get out of a math test..... not ... that ... I ...ever ...did.....))

... Getting to sleep in when you want. ^_^ My fav!

... Not having to clean your room EVERY SINGLE DAY. ^_^

.... Making my own money to spend how I see fit... and blowing it mostly on books.

.....but I think the coolest part is being able to live on your own... make your own decisions.... and then getting to drag yourself over to Mommies house when you get sick and need someone to make you all better.

[Eireann]

I like - no, LOVE - the fact that, as an adult, I'm identifying and working through the damaging issues from my childhood. I absorbed a lot of wrong ideas about life, about my place in the world, about a lot of things, and while I do have many fond memories of childhood, I have some very dark memories, as well. Now, I don't have the emotional baggage that made so much of my life so difficult!

I love not having to worry what I'm going to hear when I get home late.

I love eating what I make, and like, rather than what's put in front of me.

I love eating out if I feel like it.

I love eating ice cream right out of the container.

I love not having to ask permission to go somewhere.

I love having my own place.

I love watching all the movies I want to watch, without having a fight over the TV.

[CaroPhoenix]

This is what I like about being an adult:

-- I can run around the house with scissors.

-- I can sit 3 inches in front of the TV if I want to.

-- I can stand in front of the open refrigerator and stare at what's inside for long periods of times.

-- Hmmm ... I can ... aaaah ... dress myself without anyone (*coughmomandsistercough*) asking me if I'm wearing that to go out.

-- I can have any toy I want in the toystore and I don't have to give it to Child Rum

-- I can't vouch for the sex part - right now Mr. Rum is complaining that I want it once a week.

[gremcint]

not having to put up with bullies at school
not having to put up with bullies at school
not having to put up with bullies at school

being able to watch stuff like dexter and ncis while still enjoying justice league

being able to own a gun
having access to various places that a human body could be disposed of...

(what do you want from me we are close to halloween)
being able to just outright buy candy.

[MaggieTheCat]

-- I can't vouch for the sex part - right now Mr. Rum is complaining that I want it once a week.

I'm so sorry, Rum.

not having to put up with bullies at school
not having to put up with bullies at school
not having to put up with bullies at school

That was gonna be one of my first ones too! That, and generally being able to ignore people who I don't like, unlike school where you may be forced to do group projects with the jerks who don't pull their weight!

Here are a few more:

-Being able to keep my own schedule. If I want to sleep late, I can sleep late without getting a lecture about it.

-Being able to cook what I want, when I want. If I want to bake cookies at 11:00 at night, then dangit I'm baking cookies at 11:00 at night!

-Being able to take a shower whenever I want. Sometimes it's 2am and you just need to warm up/cool down/relax before you can get back to sleep.

-Being able to live with my husband, who is very supportive and understanding when I'm upset rather than just telling me to get over my problems!

-Having a somewhat messy (not dirty, just messy) apartment without getting lectured about every little thing not being in its perfect place.

[AnaKhouri]

My husband is one of those very nostalgic people. He's always talking about how great it was when he was a kid. I had an OK childhood, but I am always happy no matter where I am in my life. I can't wait to see what happens next (probably because I am a reader/writer)!

I love being an adult. I have my own place, a good partner, any kind of pet I want, I can drive and go to R-rated movies and buy stuff as long as I can afford it. I can go anywhere I want (almost) and best of all, I now have a kid and he is way more fun than any toy I had when I was little!

[Shards]

I'm currently a college student, still living at home, unemployed, and single, so I'm probably the single biggest child in this particular thread, but I'll tell you the things I miss that I always felt older when I did:

-Working. I miss making my own money and supporting my own hobbies, without having to ask mom and dad for it, plus, I just really did enjoy going to work every day, it always beat school, hands down.

-Commitment. I miss being in a relationship where there was a monogamous commitment, where I knew waking up that there was someone special and important in my life, and that I was important in theirs. Admittedly, it didn't work out, but I still miss the security of not having to deal with all the crap that comes with being single and giving a damn.

-Lunch Hour. My college schedule has me fenced in between classes for several hours right in a row, then lets me out at the end. This is very similar to how my high school schedule was. During the time between HS and college, even when I was working, I had a break for lunch that I could spend with friends, or, more often than not, my grandfather.

Oh, and here's one I actually do get to enjoy, even now:

-Knowing what the frack you're talking about: I don't go out of my way to absorb trivia, but I do know my way around what's going on in recent times, and when a debate comes up, I have a stronger grasp on it than I did when I was a child. My opinions are formulated, and I know where I stand, no more uncertainty. I'm quite fond of that.

[Javakat]

For me, it's all got to do with me not having to deal with my 4 younger siblings all the time. No more baby-sitting, no more yelling and fighting. It's so nice to have quiet and the TV to myself.

[draftermatt]

*Going to work and getting paid instead of going to school.
I was always good at school but I hated going there. I felt like I could be doing more with my time. So my senior year of highschool was spent largely at work. To the point that I have a hard time remembering a lot of people I graduated with because I wasn't there.

*The sex part is pretty cool

*Doing what I want, when I want.

*Being "friends" with my parents.
Maybe this sounds odd, but I like being able to hold a conversation with my parents, or older relatives and knowing that they respect my opinion as an adult. Being able to pick up the phone and calling them to say "hey". Being asked to become my parents Power of Attorney/executor of estate, etc.

*Knowing that my friends are my friends even though I don't see them every day.
Remember as a kid when summer sucked because you couldn't see your friends (from school) for so long? And now as an adult you sometimes go even longer without seeing or even hearing from friends? But it's alright and no one gets mad for "ignoring" the other?