10 Ways You Know You're A Responsible Adult

Man, I hope your Monday is off to a good start! We’re all being productive adults, right? What makes us really grown ups? We turn 18 and boom the law says we can join the military, vote, move out and get tried as an adult. We turn 21 and we can drink and get into certain clubs if we want to. But are we mentally and emotionally prepared for this? If there was criteria, would you pass? Who loves top 10 lists? Who doesn't?  Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll stop asking questions and present to you:

10 Ways You Know You’re A Responsible Adult

Look who tied their shoes with no help

1     You pay your own bills.  And on time at that!

2     You budget. Gone are the days where you’d buy clothes you’ll only wear once and go and feast at a posh restaurant and buy obscure items online the very second you got paid. Now you open your spreadsheet and delegate your check down to the penny!

3     You show up at work on little to no sleep. Why? Because people are counting on you! And you also need the money. Whatever the reason is (sick child, party, insomnia) you were determined to go. Although you should use good judgment. It’s one thing if a stuffy nose kept you up and it’s something else when you’re hacking away with that new strain of the flu. Think of your coworkers, bro.

4     You clean because you want to and things stay clean. My first foray into bachelorhood (or bacherlorettehood), I’ll admit, I wasn't good at this. I would come home tired and I slept a lot; maybe I was depressed, not sure. But this time I got it going on and am focused. Now if only I could clean up my appearance. I tell you, singlehood has its perks. I live in yoga pants, t-shirts and sneakers. A little tomboyish, I know. I’m off topic, where was I? Cleaning. If you got kids, have them help too! My crew and I can do the entire house in under an hour.

5     You face your problems. No more calling mom and dad to accompany you to get your car registered, go to court or look for a place. You put on your big kid pants and handle your business. No more blaming your childhood or your partner either! You sit there and you talk things out. The immature you would have walked out and gone on a 2 day drinking binge. Not you today, no sir. (This excludes moving in with mom and dad due to divorce, injury/illness, or job loss. That’s just until you get on your feet)

6     The only tickets you get are traffic tickets.  I get it. Sometimes we park in an unauthorized area or didn't realize we were going 7 over the limit. But if you’re getting cited for fraud or public intoxication, it’s time to reevaluate your friends and your choices. Also DWI or DUI’s are not the kind of traffic tickets I was mentioning above. Get your it together.

7      You manage your time wisely. You are no longer the girl that posted status updates like “When am I going to find my prince charming?” “Where is Mr. Right?” And you've only updated your profile pic twice this year! You go girl. You’re probably out volunteering or paying it forward or even organizing those pictures into an actual album instead of online. You may even be outside in the real world talking to people in real life and you’re only reading this because you took your phone to the bathroom at the restaurant. Keep it up.

8     You act professionally. Remember back in the day when you’d quit your job at the drop of a hat? Or when you got into it with a customer during your Starbucks days? Those days are gone. You’re the guy that holds his tongue when his boss is rude. You own up to your mistakes. Yes, it was you who transposed those numbers and we salute you for manning up!

9     You’re preparing for the future. You have your mutual funds going and you’re saving for retirement. Gold star, my friend.

10   You take care of yourself. You know when it’s time  for your body to rest or go on a vacation. You exercise. You eat right. You visit the doctor regularly and you owned that colonoscopy like a boss. You realize that this is the only body you have and you might as well look out for it.

There you have it. It’s not about the age because I know teens (a couple) who meet a lot of these principles and some of you have probably been doing these things from the get go. And it’s not about money because Lindsay Lohan doesn't even meet the list halfway. It's about growth, wisdom and experience.

I was iffy about putting owning a house but applause if you’re paying for your residence, whether it’s renting or buying. Besides, we know you’re saving. ;)  What else needs to be on the list of maturity? Leave your add-ons in the comments below.