Adulting is hard. That’s what they don’t tell you when you’re a kid, busily day-dreaming about all the cool stuff you’ll be able to do once you’re “all grown up.” Like driving yourself around in your very own big-girl car, and getting paid thousands of dollars at your fancy big-girl job, and having the ability to eat whatever you want, whenever you want — like a big girl!
It all sounds pretty cool when you’re a kid, whose days are largely determined by Mom and Dad’s rules. Until you actually get to be an adult, and you discover that there are things like responsibilities and bills and taxes. And that eating Cheez Doodles and pizza all day sounds pretty fun in theory, except that adult metabolisms are a whole lot suckier than kid metabolisms.
But who are we to ruin the dream for the next generation? They still think we’ve got it made! And okay, maybe they’re sort of right. According to a recent survey by YouGov, over 2,000 British kids between the ages of 8-15 were asked what they think the best parts of being an adult are.
Here’s the top 10, according to their lists:
1. Being able to stay up late (or basically, whenever we want).
This one’s true. And that’s pretty obvious to kids, who have to begrudgingly abide by Mom and Dad’s predetermined bedtimes (muhahahaha). However, while staying up way past midnight is super awesome in college, we all know reality hits hard once you’ve got a job you have to wake up super early for. (Not to mention kids to take care of.)
2. Having the freedom to go and visit my friends whenever I want.
Admittedly, this one’s pretty nice. We don’t need Mom to schedule a playdate for us. In adulthood, meeting up with friends usually involves grabbing dinner or having a drink, or meeting up to binge-watch our favorite TV show. But as we all know, thanks to that whole having a job and kids thing, our “playdates” become way less frequent.
3. Decorating my own home that I can decorate however I like.
A sizeable 46% of kids had this one on their list, and it’s easy to see why — owning your own home and decorating it to suit your style is awesome! But it’s also why our bank accounts are sucked dry by things like “paying the mortgage” and “just going to Target for some throw pillows.”
4. Being able to choose my own job.
Well, this one’s sorta true. The realities of the working world can be far less “magical” than we tend to think as kids, and the career world is not without its limits, but the basic principle still holds true: If we really want to be something when we grow up, the only person who can truly stand in our way is ourselves. (Okay fine, and the possibility of all that crushing student loan debt.)
5. Being able to choose my own pet.
There’s no getting around it, this one’s just sweet.
6. Being able to get up whenever I want.
LOL. Newsflash, kids: If you love the idea of “sleeping in” ’til whatever hour you choose — without awakening to the cries of an infant or an elbow to the head delivered by a toddler — you may want to really think hard about having kids of your own one day. Just saying.
7. Being able to buy my own food.
YES. This one’s the best, there’s no denying it. When I was a kid, I can vividly remember wanting to be older just so I could eat McDonald’s whenever I wanted — not just on the rare occasion my mom had a coupon for Happy Meals. Sadly, that dream never quite came to fruition; in part because I’m pretty sure that would have led me to an early coronary by now, but also because I wound up becoming a vegetarian. (Still, I think my younger self would be super jealous of my Delivery.com order history.)
8. Buying my own clothes.
When you’re a kid, back-to-school shopping is like your one big chance to score clothes for the year. After that, new clothes tend to come around holidays or birthdays or if you beg your __parents SUPER hard for that cool shirt at the mall. Creating your own wardrobe as an adult definitely has its perks. Until you get the credit card bill in the mail, at which point it sucks.
9. Being able to have children.
Unless the realities of No. 6. scares you off.
10. Getting to dye my hair any color I want.
They’re totally right — this one’s cool no matter how you slice it.
… So maybe adulthood isn’t so bad after all?