Stepping into adulthood

thedcnative · Post by **thedcnative** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:37 pm

You guys don't really know me yet, but Friday is my birthday; and a very special one at that. I'm turning 18 years old

It's exciting, of course. I've always been an independent person and now I'll have the opportunity to spread my wings and start making a life of my own.

At the same time...this is scary as hell. With all the new freedoms come a plethora of responsibilities. There's so much at stake. Failure in adulthood is magnified 1,000 fold. I will be held responsible for ever action I make, for better or worse. With some of the adults I've come into contact with, adulthood seems more like a death march than a point in my life.

I suppose I'm nervous, but I'm excited. After Friday, there's no going back.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:49 pm

If you've always been independant then you should be fine. Just don't break any laws and all will be good. ;-)

Happy Early Birthday.

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:47 am

Enjoy your youth. You'll be 40 before you know it.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:53 am

Follow your instincts. If shady situations seem shady, chances are that your instincts are right. Don't let peer pressure get to you, yes, it still exists after high school.

To paraphrase a corny country song, Life's a journey, not a destination. Enjoy every step, even the ones that don't make sense at the time.

langleyparkjoe · Post by **langleyparkjoe** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:37 am

A little early but happy bday young man.. like everyone will be telling you, enjoy it!!! Bless and be safe

Cooter · Post by **Cooter** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:19 am

Happy Birthday...don't worry about making mistakes, everybody makes them, just learn from them and don't dwell on them. Another tidbit of advice comes from Baz Luhrmann..."sometimes your ahead, sometimes your behind, but the race is long, and in the end it's only with yourself."

Bob 0119 · Post by **Bob 0119** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:59 am

Sounds like you got your head on straight.

Stay in school if you can. I think the biggest mistake in my life was "taking a year off." I never went back.

Life really isn't as hard as some people make it out to be. Sure there are hard times, and yes you can make mistakes that will haunt you for the rest of your life. As long as you are aware of the traps, you can usually avoid them.

Don't be afraid of being an adult. It may seem like adult mistakes are magnified 1,000 times, but you'll find they really aren't. Everyone makes mistakes, so it's unlikely that you'll be the first person to make a particular mistake.

People are probably asking you what you want to do with your life. I know it seemed to be the number one question everyone asked me at that age. If you already know, than you are a step ahead of me when I was that age.

People always told me to "live life without regret." I never knew what that meant.

Now, for me, it means making the choice you think is right at the time. If you know better than to lie, don't lie. If you know not to steal, don't steal. Know when to ask for help. Know when to offer help to others. Most importantly, know when to apologize.

You'll encounter times where you'll have to make a decision between what you want to do, and what you should do. Make the right choice and you'll live without regret.

Congrats, and hope you have a Happy Birthday!

BigRedskinDaddy · Post by **BigRedskinDaddy** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:00 pm

Deadskins wrote:Enjoy your youth. You'll be 40 before you know it.

Oh, so true brother. I spent nearly the entire time from age 16 or 17 waiting and wanting to be 21...and just about the entire time SINCE wanting to be a teenager again.

To the OP, it sounds to me like you already have a leg up on your peers: I remember when I was your age I had nowhere near the understanding of the impact your decisions will make on you and your life. I was just a young kid, and of course I was going to live forever, so I could screw up all I wanted and make up for it later.

Right. That didn't work out so well for a long time. When I finally figured it out I had that much more ground to make up. If I could offer just one little piece of advice it would be this: realize that your decisions often carry serious consequences, yes -- but also be aware that there's no shame in failing or falling. The shame lies in not trying again or in not getting back up and going on. You're going to louse things up once in a while, no matter how well you've been raised and how well-intentioned you are. It's a given. Don't sweat those mistakes. Learn from them and keep on truckin'.

Happy Early Birthday brother.

joebagadonuts · Post by **joebagadonuts** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:51 pm

Happy Birthday. And I don't think anyone really 'steps' into adulthood. It's more like everyone stumbles, lunges and falls backwards into adulthood. It's not as if it's an easy change to make, nor one that everyone DOES make. I know 35 year-olds who may be old enough to be men, but aren't. Being an adult is more about character and confidence than it is about age.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:07 pm

joebagadonuts wrote:Happy Birthday. And I don't think anyone really 'steps' into adulthood. It's more like everyone stumbles, lunges and falls backwards into adulthood. It's not as if it's an easy change to make, nor one that everyone DOES make. I know 35 year-olds who may be old enough to be men, but aren't. Being an adult is more about character and confidence than it is about age.

I still wonder what the hell I'm doing with two children of my own some days.

JansenFan · Post by **JansenFan** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:51 pm

I'm with you Vet. Jackson will do something, and I know I should be correcting him or punishing him or whatever, but the whole time I laughing inside because chances are, I either did, or would have done the same thing.

Its like, "That's not how you react to that situation," when I'm clearly thinking, "even though that's how I reacted to it when I was your age."

Poor kid can't get away with anything.

In any case, there's lots of serious stuff in this thread, so I'll keep it light.

All 18 means is you can serve your country, smoke some ciggy's, vote and do time in an adult correctional facility. Be careful which one you choose.

Oh, and happy birthday.

joebagadonuts · Post by **joebagadonuts** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:09 pm

VetSkinsFan wrote:
joebagadonuts wrote:Happy Birthday. And I don't think anyone really 'steps' into adulthood. It's more like everyone stumbles, lunges and falls backwards into adulthood. It's not as if it's an easy change to make, nor one that everyone DOES make. I know 35 year-olds who may be old enough to be men, but aren't. Being an adult is more about character and confidence than it is about age.

I still wonder what the hell I'm doing with two children of my own some days.

I'm sure your kids are thinking the same thing - :lol:

thedcnative · Post by **thedcnative** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:58 pm

Thank you guys for responding.

Yes, I'm guilty of being the guy who's in a big hurry to grow up. Lately, though, I fallen into a bit of a funk because I know this is a big transition year for me. I'm turning 18 tomorrow and leaving for college in June. I assure you all the only thing my nose will be put to is a sturdy grindstone. :-)

I already know what I want to do with my life, so I think I've got an advantage there. What comes to past between now and whenever is completely in God's hands, though.

Once again, thank you for the words of wisdom. I will take heed.

VetSkinsFan · Post by **VetSkinsFan** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:04 am

joebagadonuts wrote:
VetSkinsFan wrote:
joebagadonuts wrote:Happy Birthday. And I don't think anyone really 'steps' into adulthood. It's more like everyone stumbles, lunges and falls backwards into adulthood. It's not as if it's an easy change to make, nor one that everyone DOES make. I know 35 year-olds who may be old enough to be men, but aren't. Being an adult is more about character and confidence than it is about age.

I still wonder what the hell I'm doing with two children of my own some days.

I'm sure your kids are thinking the same thing -

(d)oink · Post by **(d)oink** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:26 pm

I remember 18.......sigh

Happy Birthday.

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:13 pm

(d)oink wrote:I remember 18.......sigh

Happy Birthday.

I don't.

thedcnative · Post by **thedcnative** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:19 pm

Countertrey wrote:
(d)oink wrote:I remember 18.......sigh

Happy Birthday.

I don't.

Those birthday punches get a little too hostile?

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:51 pm

thedcnative wrote:
Countertrey wrote:
(d)oink wrote:I remember 18.......sigh

Happy Birthday.

I don't.

Those birthday punches get a little too hostile?

Nope... just too long ago.

thedcnative · Post by **thedcnative** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:13 pm

Bah, couldn't be that long ago. :-)

Tomorrow the fun really begins for me. I'm going to the Post Office to sign up for selective service. Hopefully, there won't be a real need for that in the future, but we'll see.

tcwest10 · Post by **tcwest10** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:42 pm

You'll noticed that your old Uncle Sam will be glad to help you celebrate your birthday.
Register to vote, ASAP.

thedcnative · Post by **thedcnative** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:01 pm

I did. I registered the same day.

Libertarian, by the way :-)

tcwest10 · Post by **tcwest10** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:36 am

thedcnative wrote:I did. I registered the same day.

Libertarian, by the way

So...you'll be working with lots of books? Do they still use the Dewey Decimal system?