When I grow up....

Well contrary to what girls these days think growing up is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcEZrEPDV9k

I think being a grown up is much different than I thought it would be when I was younger. I remember being a freshman in high school and walking down the hall and looking at juniors and seniors as not only gods, but as the older kids. They always seemed so much older than me. When I became a senior, I still felt young. I was open to hanging out with freshman and often times did with Young Life and sports. They did not seem "that much" younger than me. I never felt old.

The other day andrea and I went out to find a 90's inspired outfit for the 90's party that never happened (sorry brucey and dano).

We found these amazing keds at urban.


...as we shopped she was saying she was going to wear them without socks because her mom never let her wear her keds without socks when she was growing up.

As I thought about this conversation an earlier conversation came to mind. I was making cookies for a care package and I had extra dough left over. Andrea started to eat the dough. This is normal. She made a comment that her mom never let her eat dough and it wasn't until high school (most likely at my house) when she discovered cookie dough was edible and delicious! Her Mom always told her it would poison her or something...lies. Parental protection, but lies none-the-less.

The point of these stories is not to make Andrea look sheltered, in fact, my parents did many similar things to me when I was growing up. These stories were told, instead, to point out one simple fact: we are grown ups. When did that happen?

We can eat cookie dough until we throw up, we can wear socks with our sneakers, but if we are feeling crazy then heck! Take off those socks, who will tell you otherwise? No one, because we are grown ups.

If we want to wear mismatched clothes and sleep til noon, we can. If we want to have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, we can. If we want to fall in love or get in fights or quit our jobs, we can. We are adults. We are all growed up.

This reality is humbling. I don't really remember the point when I felt like a true adult. Now my friends are starting to get married and have children, most days this feels normal, but when I really think about it..the days of being told to go to my room do not feel so long ago. We are adults. We make adult decisions and go to grown up jobs. And grown up bars. Some of us make monumental grown up decisions and mistakes. The decisions we make affect us and we must now take responsibility for all of our actions. We are no longer told what to do (by our parents) but now, if you get in to trouble it normally holds much more weight. Because now you are responsible. Soon we will have children of our own to tell what to do and how to wear their socks and comb their hair. I plan on dressing my children up in costumes everyday and taking embarrassing photographs of them all the time. One day. Not any time soon. Because although I am an adult, I do not feel like one just quite yet.

But thats just the thing. I am one. So are you...
We are grown ups. When did that happen?

for now i wont worry about it...i will just listen to regina and sing at the top of the lungs. because i can. because i am a grown up.