The
Question of the Month is a bloghop that was started by Michael G
D'Agostino and it occurs the first Monday of each month. Here is the question
for January:
What was your
“growing up” moment?
For me, “growing up” was more of a
series of moments rather than one particular time. It’s those moments when I
reach a milestone and realize things may never be the same again. Driving alone
for the first time, my first job at Subway, the first time I made a purchase
over $100 with my own income, giving a speech at high school graduation, going
to college and living in the dorms, going to Bible studies and church on my
own, my first apartment and paying utility bills, graduating college and
getting my teaching certificate, and those are just the moments that occurred around
10 or more years ago.
Then there are the moments like
seeing teenagers at the mall and calling them “kids”, coming across multiple
phrases that younger people use that I don’t recognize, realizing (as I’m
writing this) that this year will be my 10-year college reunion, but I veer off
course because these are moments that make me feel old, not grown up.
Honestly, I feel as though I still
have a lot of “growing up” to do. There are many things I have not yet
experienced, like getting married, having a baby, and buying a house, but I no
longer believe those things make us adults. I know wives, parents, and
homeowners who still feel as though they have no idea what they are doing. I
think God uses all of our experiences in life to teach us and we never stop
learning. Since learning is a part of growing and maturing, I feel as though
there will always be room for more of these “growing up” moments.
Do you have a "growing up" moment? Do you ever have those moments of feeling "old"?
As the mother of a 12-year-old, yes, I do feel old all the time. I don't know the lingo, I don't watch the cool YouTubers, I don't understand Minecraft, I've never heard the popular songs and I haven't seen the advertisements for the newest films. All in all, I'm out of it (in more ways than one). Oh well. I perfectly happy reading my books and avoiding commercials by watching Netflix. Let the world spin on.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Tamara. I'd rather just read or watch Netflix than try to keep up with all the latest trends and celebrities.
DeleteI like the idea of never really growing up, but once the innocent of youth is gone, it's gone. Still, I try to stay young at heart in my own way. Thank you for sharing your growing up moments, still on your growing up journey.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Toi. I took a much lighter approach to this question than you did, but I have faced my share of grievances. I think staying young and heart helps us get through it all :)
Delete"Growing up" moment. *snort* I haven't grown up. I doubt I ever will.
ReplyDeleteI do feel old from time to time. Realizing that this year is the 40th anniversary of the release of the first Star Wars. Knowing that my car is older than all the kiddos I encounter at work. All sorts of things, really.
Liz, something that still gets me feeling old is that I used cassette tapes, records, and videotapes during my childhood, and many kids nowadays don't even know what those are.
DeleteHouses, cars and stuff don't do much in growing up, you're right. I also feel older when I see these young people and shock myself when I realize I am not 25. The first thing that popped into my head was when I watched my father slowly die.
ReplyDeleteBirgit, I'm sorry you had to deal with that grief. I know I'm not very old yet, but I still don't feel my age. My brain still thinks I'm in my early twenties instead of early thirties.
DeleteI think the first time I was called "ma'am" was a growing up moment (little humor). I think after my mom died (and I was 48 at the time) I realized there was no generation ahead of me. I was "it".
ReplyDeletebetty
Betty, I hope I do not have to reach that point anytime soon, though I do worry about my parents a lot.
DeleteI think I was first called "ma'am" when I was 18 at my Subway job. I remember feeling a bit annoyed, lol.
There's always room for "growing up" moments, even after getting married and having kids.
ReplyDeleteCynthia, I'm sure you're right :)
Delete