I'm a Grown Up

Maybe I just need to vent a little. Or rant a lot. Either way, I'm going to be fussin', so be prepared.

When do I start being a grown up? Just as recently as Christmas day I was informed by a relative that I "ain't grown" and I am to say "yes ma'am" when speaking to my mother. This was the first thing he said to me when he walked in the door, before a "hello" or "Merry Christmas," and then he said," What? You can't speak to me?" as I stood dumb-struck. I managed a half-hearted "Merry Christmas," and spent the next hour and half or so that he was there fuming and mad at myself for not telling him he's a jerk (among many other "French" sentiments along the same line).

Before this incident, I was told by my mother that my sister thinks I'm "too growny." Now, I thought that the word "growny" was used to describe a little baby 3 year old who says intelligent things or wants to help mommy in the kitchen, not a 24 year old who happens to enjoy an evening in with my husband and cats, Wheel of Fortune on the TV, and a home-made meal on the table. Is that what makes me "growny?" Or is it that I like that I have a china cabinet filled with china? Is it that I use words like "incident," "informed," and "dumb-struck?" Is it because I enjoy having friends over for trivia board games and strawberry daiquiris? Maybe it's that I use a search engine to make sure I spell daiquiris the correct way.

If I'm not a grown up yet, maybe I'll be one when I graduate college. Oh, right. Check. Maybe I'll be a grown up when I get married. Ding! Maybe I'll be a grown up when I have a job. Hired! Maybe I'll be a grown up when my husband and I pay our own bills. Done. Maybe I'll be a grown up when all of my debt is paid off and only school and car loans remain in my name. Been there, done that.

Well, if I'm not an adult yet, maybe I'll become one when I pop out a baby or two or three. Maybe I'll be an adult when I have a mortgage to pay. Maybe I'll be an adult when video games no longer interest me. Maybe I need a Master's degree to validate my adulthood. Or, you know what? Maybe I'll be a grown up when I don't make pissy little rants on the Internet. I don't know.

All I do know is that I love my life and how I'm living it.