“Wow, so that’s how…” is something I’ve thought to myself quite a few times since I turned 18.
The first time I felt like a “real adult” was when I went to the doctor’s office by myself. (Granted, it was the pediatrician, but still a trip to the doctor.) I’d already been driving and working for quite some time, but those felt like easier transitions. Sure, practicing driving was a little scary, but I got the hang of it; I applied for my first job, got an interview, and started working. No big deal.
This was different. I checked myself in and sat in the waiting room, filled out the paperwork I’d watched my mom fill out many times, and waited for the nurse to call my name.
The appointment was the routine well-visit I needed annually for documentation. So no real bells and whistles (otherwise, I’m sure my mom would have been there.) While it wasn’t anything really extravagant, my first appointment I went to by myself was an experience I needed in that it gave me the confidence to handle many other things on my own.
Once you turn 18, you’re an adult on paper. However, “adulting” is like anything else – it takes time. Becoming an “adult” didn’t happen all at once for me. Instead, it’s been sporadic errands or things needing to be checked off of a list. As someone who still has a few part-time jobs, is first and foremost a student, and lives at home with my family, there is still a lot of figuring-things-out and “adulting” to go.
In the end, it’s all about learning how to go with the flow and adapting to new situations.
Written by Katherine C., a Rutgers—Camden Undergraduate Student and Raptor Ambassador.