Through the Eyes of Young Me

I was thinking earlier about all the illusions I had as a child of what being an adult would be like. I found myself laughing at quite a few of them. For some reason I had the crazy idea that there would be no rules, I could eat cake whenever I wanted, and spend money on whatever I wanted. Oh how wrong I was! Although, I could eat cake whenever if I still had the metabolism of my 7 year old self. I lost that a long time ago.

I came up with a list of a few things I totally got wrong as a teenager wondering what adulthood (particularly life in my 20s) would be like. If you care to, read on and see if yours match up with mine!

10 Misconceptions of Being a 20-Something (through the eyes of a teenager)

1.  Life is not like an episode of The Hills and you are not Lauren Conrad. No one has time to go out every night and no one has the money to. Work attire will also consist of more than jeans and a blazer.

2. After college you will have an entry level job. Your cubicle (because you don’t get an office for a few more years at least) will be next to someone who either wears too much perfume or not enough.

3. Because you hoped the college years would last forever, they abruptly stop after graduation because everyone got their “ring by spring”. From now until you’re about 33, engagement, wedding, and baby announcements will be in your mailbox or inbox daily.

4. Finances are worse than when you only got an “allowance” from mom and dad. At least then you only had to budget for two things: your next trip to the mall and the movies.

5. Eating healthy will still be just as hard for you now as it was when you were at college, not to mention just as expensive. A fresh salad topped with almonds, strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette will always be pricier than the mac and cheese a few aisles down.

6. You realize that the 5-year plan just turned into “go with the flow” because no matter how hard we try, some things just don’t turn out the way you wanted them to.

7. There are more rules now than your parents ever had for you. Most of these rules are unwritten and through trial and error you will learn them.

8. No one cares that you were captain or president of anything in high school. They might care about it if it was in college, but only if it somehow benefits them, otherwise it really doesn’t matter much.

9. The short shorts you wanted to wear but your parents said “no” to are now socially unacceptable unless you’re going to Wal-Mart or the beach. They aren’t a statement piece for your outfits anymore.

10. You will not be driving a Mercedes-Benz or Audi. You’ll still be driving the car you bought in high school or one your parents are lending you.

Does your list match up with mine? Let me know in the comments!