Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things That Make You Feel Like A Grown-Up

This week's Ten on Tuesday topic is something I don't often consider now that I am a grown-up, but I used to think about it all the time when I was a teenager. I couldn't wait to become one because I thought grown-ups got to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted! While it's not exactly what my teenage self imagined, these things do make me feel like I've entered "grown-uphood"...

1. Driving. I've been driving for many, many years, but I never take it for granted. I think about driving responsibly, carefully, and safely every time I get in the car.

2. Owning a house. I'm lucky enough to have a lovely, old, warm house, but it requires lots of maintenance. We grown-ups have to perform the repairs or find someone who can.

3. Paying bills. Not something I enjoy, but it is much easier now that I can pay almost all of them online. Even though I'm an adult, I complain when I have to write a check!

4. Doing taxes. This is the grown-up job I dislike the most; I resent every single moment I have to spend doing this odious task. My kids are approaching "grown-uphood" themselves, so this year I'm going to be showing them how to do their own taxes.

5. Being responsible for others. Since I work from home and for fewer hours than my husband, I do most of the household tasks in our division of labor. Keeping the household running - grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. - always makes me feel grown up.

6. Assuming the role of "matriarch". This makes me sound like The Dowager Countess (which sadly, I am not) but extended family gatherings have moved from our parents' homes to our house. When my mother died after a long illness, I definitely felt like a grown-up.

7. Making myself stop knitting and/or reading and go to bed at a reasonable time. There are quite a few times I'd like nothing better than to stay up late, knitting and reading, but I've learned that adults have to get up in the morning.

8. Cleaning bathrooms. This is probably my second least favorite job after doing taxes, but grown-ups like clean bathrooms, so clean their bathrooms they must.

9. Making big financial decisions. Retirement is still a good 5-10 years away for us, but we have been saving for it for many years, while paying a mortgage and college tuitions. Sometimes I have to try not to laugh when we meet with our financial guy; it feels like I'm "playing grown-up"!

10. Deciding whether I should hyphenate grown-up. I took my cue from Calvin and Hobbes.