I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine the other day and we were discussing life.  In this particular conversation (which I am sure many of you have had), we reminisced about how as kids we could not wait to be “grown”, and we broke out in laughter.

Most of the time, the wish to be an adult usually happened when our parents told us no and/or punished us for something we had done wrong. It did not matter if we were guilty or not, we just wanted the independence. We wanted the independence to do what we wanted, when we wanted to do it. Oh, how do I remember those days?

I wanted my own money to buy clothes, hang out with friends (who felt the same I did), buy a car, and have my own place to name a few. I did not realize it meant I had to apply for a job (and hopefully get the job), make decent money (because I did not know the difference between money and salary), save some money, find a place to live, and then pay utilities. What was I thinking? LOL

In my household (like many), we did not have the money conversation. I grew up “kinda” believing that we were rich.  Even though the gas and electric may have been cut off once or twice, we were doing okay (in my eyes). We had a house, food, and pretty decent clothes. We were definitely not the Huxtables but we were doing just fine. Speaking of the Huxtables, I am reminded of the episode when Theo wanted to become an adult and live on his own (http://youtu.be/GeaayMlLQDc and http://youtu.be/opGocmi0grE). So I guess I did share more similarities with them that I previously thought!

Not until I started college did I get a “taste” of the real world. I walked on campus and saw the dreaded credit card tables, and that was the beginning to the end (as it was for many students). I loved the freedom of having credit cards but did not realize it came with a price.

As forty-five your old man, I often think, “What the heck was I rushing for?”       

–       Car- comes with a car payment, insurance, and maintenance.                                                                                          

–       Home (the “American dream”)- comes with a house note and maintenance.

–       Credit cards- sometimes comes with a high interest rate.

–       Clothes- expensive and the styles change every season.

–       Independence- what exactly is this? LOL

My words of advice to all the young people: stay young and enjoy every minute of having your parents take care of you. Go to school and get the best education possible.  Being “grown” and all its responsibilities will come soon enough! 🙂