Yesterday, my daughter kept asking me if I am a grown-up, I kept telling her yes.  She also said last night after the last time that she asked me if I’m a grown-up that, ” I can’t wait to be a grown-up, because grown-ups don’t act silly right? only little boys and girls do? they are well behaved.” Then she went to sleep.  I thought if that’s her definition of a grown-up then most people including me are just still in our growing up years and for all you know still stuck in our toddler years and puberty.  She got me there.  Now I’m thinking, people who are at the age of 18 and above can be categorized as adults or old people but they are not necessarily grown-up yet.  You can have fancy titles such as a manager, boss or  professional this or that but those titles don’t make you a grown-up at all.

How can somebody become a grown-up?  Well, based on my little girl’s definition, I guess a person is a grown up if he/she doesn’t do silly things and is well behaved.  Meaning, if the person has full control of herself, her actions and her emotions.   A lot of times our character flaws and failed relationships can be traced back to our failure to grow-up.  Brattiness, selfishness, refusing to accept that we can be wrong sometimes, impulsive nature, power tripping, sour graping, unreasonable desire to get hold of something no matter what it takes, incessant desire to always have things our way, bosiness and thinking that we are better than the rest of them are just some of the attitudes that hinders us from really growing up. In a desire to check for myself  if  I am really growing up and not at all stuck somewhere between toddler years and puberty, I made a checklist. I think everyone should try making one, it is actually fun and enlightening. 

I am sure that I am well on my way to growing up because now:

• I can admire all these nice bags in my favorite site and not reserve the thing for myself right then and there or automatically click the buy now
• I think twice before buying something for myself and play the wants or needs game in my mind
• I can limit my chocolate intake to one kisses or 5 M&Ms a day (trying!)
• I can actually forego eating the things that are bad for me
• I do my exercises regularly
• I am eating vegetables (I know, I know also fish mommy!someday!) lately
• I feel much happier buying things for my family than for myself
• I can easily put back the junk foods in the rack and buy only the necessary things when out grocery shopping
• I don’t nag my husband so much anymore with just little things
• I don’t expect him to read my thoughts perfectly or read between the lines but instead communicate with him the proper way now (yes means yes and no means no unlike before when no means yes and yes means no)
• I feel happy for him when he goes out to play basketball or go out with his friends
• I do not feel threatened anymore when my husband is texting a friend who happens to be a girl
• I can contentedly do something else when my husband is sleeping peacefully in the sofa instead of talking to me
• I don’t easily get stressed anymore over small things and can control my temper
• I genuinely feel happy for my friends who’ve achieved something great
• I feel the need to  touch base with my few, meaningful friends lately
• I can truly admire the beauty and grace of another woman without the green-eyed monster attacking
• I can easily distance myself from gossip monger or wanna bes
• I can distinguish theories from realities and take time now to validate stories and people
• I can walk away from a fight or turn my back from a  person who is itching to have one
• I choose my battles
• I do not let negative words about me from negative people get to me
• I can stand up from a fall and not feel embarrassed at all
• I can focus on the good things rather than the bad in every person I meet
• I appreciate silence and order
• I can patiently wait in line
• I can curl up in bed and sleep the whole day and still think that my day was the best day ever
• I can wake up really early and still be in a cheerful mood
• I don’t feel the need to follow the current fads and just wear what is comfortable
• I get all warmed up inside when I was able to make somebody smile and laugh
• I don’t feel the need to explain myself often to other people
• I can guiltlessly turn my back from toxic people and refuse to let them get me down
• I shut up and listen more
• I pray more often not only for myself but for other people as well
• I joined the cooperative and started saving already
• I now let the world revolve around another person other than myself

Well, growing up is an on-going process really, I doubt if there’s one person in the world who can claim to be a grown-up in its truest sense of the word. The world is just full of little boys and girls waiting to grow up…and you and me are one of them…the important thing is we are not stuck somewhere there and we aspire to have our names written in grown-up list..