When we were younger, I am sure we all had this idea in our head of what it will be like to be an adult. It seemed awesome. Make your own rules, stay up however late you want, eat all the ice cream you can handle and watch whatever you want on television. I am quickly learning, as I am sure a lot of us are, that this is not the case at all. There are a few things I have learned in the past year that have made me grow as a person and realize what being an adult really means.

• 1. Distancing friendships: While growing up, especially during the high school years, everyone had their “group.” Whether it be three people or 20 people, there was a group that we loved to be around and spend all of our free time with. Being home after my first year of college, I am realizing that the biggest change in “growing up” is losing friends. It is not so much a bad thing, as we find out who truly cares about us and who was just there for the fun times.
• 2. Growing closer to siblings: My sister and I are eight years apart, and it seemed like we would never be friends. However, she was the one person I missed the most while I was away from school. In such a short time, it seemed like she grew up from the annoying little girl into someone who is there for me whenever I am down. I think part of growing up is truly realizing that family is the most important thing in your life, and it is time to stop taking them for granted.
• 3. Realizing the value of a dollar: It was always so easy when we did not have to worry about buying clothes, food or other miscellaneous items. Now that I am working two jobs to pay for rent, I appreciate my parents supporting me financially for so many years. It could not have been easy. We are finally realizing how hard it is, but also how rewarding it feels to be able to be independent.
• 4. What really matters: We are finally past drama, rumors, worrying about what we look like every time we leave the house and what brand of jeans we are wearing. We are preparing to begin the rest of our lives, and those who told us that “the little things will not matter ten years from now” could not have been any more correct. It is time to start worrying about the bigger things in life.

It seems sad that everything changes so much, but in reality it is a wonderful thing. We learn who our true friends are and who is going to be there for us forever. We learn how to be independent. Most importantly, we begin to figure out who we really are. We value life so much more because we realize how hard it truly is. And we get to honor our proud parents as they see all of the years of stressing out about raising us the right way finally paying off.

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