The 25 Best Things About Being A Grownup

I am turning 25 next week (Libras, represent!). A lot of my friends say you’re not an adult until you turn 25 years old, which is when your brain (allegedly) fully forms. It’s also when you’ve typically settled into adolescence with some kind of job or some kind of direction. On most days I lament getting older. Today I figured why not count some of the things that are actually great about not feeling like a kid who doesn’t know her butt from her brain.

1. No homework.

2. Ice cream for dinner but the flavor you wanted and not the generic Neapolitan your mama would buy because she had a coupon (although that’s delicious too).

3. A self-imposed bed time that feels so delicious. As a kid going to sleep at a reasonable hour was dreadful, as a grownup it feels like a reward for dealing with LIFE.

4. You can buy the things you want. (Suffer the swag or the consequences.)

5. You don’t have to sneak into r-rated movies.

6. You can watch as much porn as you like, ladies.

7. You’re more articulate.

8. You’re more confident than you were when you were a frumpy, naive freshman.

9. You’re more at peace with not having all the answers instead of mentally festering about every existential crisis.

10. Better shoes. I swear it’s true. They look nice and are comfortable.

11. Your tolerance for bullshit gets slowly eroded and thus all the problematic people in your life seem to fade away.

12. You gossip less. You kinda start to realize that judging others is kind of just another way of judging yourself and that you want to feel good about yourself and feeling good about others is a really effective way to do that.

13. Your parents seem reasonable enough for you to not cringe whenever they try to contact you.

14. You have more quality friends.

15. You have more quality conversations.

16. You’re not only more willing to standup for yourself, you’re more capable. You’re better at expressing yourself and understanding that you’re worthy of respect.

17. You know when to shut up. (It’s true.)

18. You can add wine to any boring situation to make it better.

19. You slowly become more politically active and aware which makes you realize suddenly why it’s usually only the “old people” that vote.

20. Better sandwiches. With that good bread. With that good cheese.

21. Better coffee.

22. You own less stuff because you need less stuff to make you feel good.

23. You’re better with money (sort of. sort of.)

24. You can still enjoy all the sweet stuff about being a kid but you get to stay up late and eat ice cream doing it.

25. You have the option—and I am just putting this out there—of owning a puppy.