What’s a moment when you realized you were officially an adult?
To my parents, I am still not an adult, but the same innocent, stupid kid who doesn’t know what to do with his life, his health, or how to make decisions. But that’s how parents are; only the future knows if I would behave the same way for my kid. It’s funny: parents care for their kids, and for them, their kids never grow.
I think I realized what adulthood is when I had to start doing things for myself. My father used to do everything for the household, groceries, vegetables, milk, clothes, maintenance work, etc and my mother used to take care of the house. Me and my siblings were supposed to focus on the studies, nothing else was demanded from us.
Things changed for me when I came out of the hostel in the final year of my master’s to survive in the city while looking for an internship. That’s when I realized I was a novice. I didn’t know how to negotiate with vendors for fruits, vegetables, or clothes (a must-have skill in India), how to cook, where to get a gas cylinder, the process for getting one, how to sign a rental lease, and such basic needs everyone goes through daily.
We used to live in a shared apartment, and since I didn’t know how to cook, I used to wash utensils- the easiest but most annoying job. But what option did I have? We used to have turns for house cleaning and for groceries, too. That time was very important to me, as I emerged from my parents’ protective shell and faced the true reality of life.
Slowly, I learned to cook instead of doing the utensil-cleaning job , and I learned other important skills as well. I strongly believe that everyone should live independently after a certain age, as it prepares them for the life ahead. It worked out very well for me.
Happy Reading! Keep traveling!!!
