5 Things Nobody Tells You About Adulthood

Didn’t we all dream of becoming adults, as kids? Pretty sure you now miss the days when you were a child. It now feels like we grew up too fast.

Adulthood is more than just an age. It’s a phase of life where you take on increasing responsibility for yourself, your choices, and sometimes others. It’s marked by independence, decision-making, and the (sometimes overwhelming) task of managing life’s complexities on your own.

Let’s look at some of the things we wish we knew about adulthood, but we were never told.

1. Wearing A Suit And Tie

For some of us, the plan was to be done with Uni, and work in a bank. Guess who is now posting “buy one, get one free” everyday?

When you even get lucky to have an office job, it most times doesn’t match your standards or the “pali” you got from school.

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2. Free Like A Bird Bat

Yes, I struck out the bird, because who are we kidding really? We blindly walked into a freedom that has more restrictions than we even had in our parents home.

At least we could attend a friend’s party without having to think of what to take along. Back then, when you go to parties, you eat to your fill and even get to leave with a gift bag filled with a week’s worth of junk. Now, you have to save up, so you can get your friend something tangible, or just sleep in your house.

Your friends started getting married, like y’all were not two years old just yesterday. Aso-ebi bill is almost like your paycheck, then there’s groomsmen and bridesmaid contributions. It just never ends!

3. Dollar Dollar Bills

Growing up, we walked past tall buildings, with high fences, a big black gate, and about 5 Caucasian dogs. Our imaginations ran far and wild, like we were direct offspring of Joseph.

“When I grow up I’ll buy my own car, and build upstairs and downstairs.” Thankfully, you can manage to afford rent for a room and parlor mini flat. You sef don try, you deserve your flowers.

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4. Critical Thinking

We just wanted to live alone, but we were not warned about how we’d need to decide what to cook and eat everyday. Most times, rice, indomie, and garri tops the chart.

No one told us we’d be glued to YouTube for DIY videos, because if you don’t get things done, you’d be paying Kabiru 7k to do it.

5. Love Under The Moon

You craved the freedom to be in a relationship, but you barely even have time for yourself. You get back from work, too hungry and tired to take off your clothes, and all you want to do is sleep. Omoooo, adulthood is nobody’s mate.

Now we know better, being an adult is not “princess in wonderland”. We have our freedom, we are living alone now, we can be out till “mama doesn’t call” cause she doesn’t even know we’re out, we can get whatever we like without any query. But all of these come with constantly hustling like there’s no tomorrow, unending bills, family responsibilities, and debts here and there.

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Now that we know what adulthood really is, it’s time to be in control. It’s time to adjust, reframe your expectations (very important for sanity), redefine success, meet people, network, be part of a community, take up skills, set boundaries, and find joy in what you do.

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Oluwabamike Adesugba

Oluwabamike (Bam Bam) Adesugba is currently a digital marketing intern interested in knowing all that marketing entails. One could say, she loves the content creation aspect more, as well as getting to write and publish her own work. Oluwabamike takes pleasure in reading books, watching horror movies, and meeting new friends.