Today I turned 30... Pause for laughs from the older crowd. Yes, I realize that 30 isn't a big deal to many people, but in reality, it marks the start to an incredibly important decade. Up until this point, youthful dalliance could be used to describe any mistakes I made, or it could be chalked up to the fact that I was "learning." But now I am expected to have learned most of my lessons and it is time to get down to business.
In all honesty I am relieved. For those of you who know me probably would agree that I am already "old." Not only have I been physically mistaken for a "30-something" for most of my late teens and 20s, but I also have a way of coming off as more mature than my years would suggest. I take this as a compliment and only acknowledge it to say that I am glad my years have finally caught up with me and I am able to claim the age I feel I have been for sometime now... I finally feel like an adult.
On most weekdays right now I come home around 1030pm after an 8 hour work day, 5 hours in grad school classes and over an hour in the car commuting but I couldn't be more satisfied with my life. I do all of that for my amazing little girl so she can have the life she deserves. She doesn't realize it yet, but everything I do (I am sure most parents do) now is for her. I now worry about good dental coverage (hello braces), a college savings plan, having enough life insurance, paying extra on my mortgage, the list goes on... I even go to bed at 830pm on weekends!
When do our priorities change so dramatically? When do we realize that the daily crap doesn't matter that much? When do we finally reach that point where we can honestly say "I've got this?" Yes, the answer can revolve around having a child, but it is more than that. It is a point where we are concerned with more than ourselves.
For each of us this moment comes at different points. Right now we are bombarded with reports, studies and polls showing how the events of adulthood (buying a car, a home, having children, etc.) are being delayed longer and longer for many 20 and 30 somethings. For whatever the reason, becoming an adult is no longer a given at 18 or 21 like many previous generations. I am not here to debate why that phenomenon is happening or even saying it is a bad thing, but what I do believe to be true is that the definition of adulthood is changing. That fact will affect us all.
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