grown up. when did that happen?

at what point did you consider yourself a grown up?

- when you moved out of your parents house?
- when you got married?
- when you had children of your own?
- when you became completely financially independent?

i know people who are one or all of the above but are still some of the most immature not grown up people i know. i’m not married, don’t have children, and don’t know that i’ll ever be completely financially independent (not because i can’t support myself, but because my parents take great joy in helping me), but i think i started feeling grown up when i realized i was more concerned with the well being of my parents than i was the well being of myself.

the thing that sucks about caring about their emotional, physical, and spiritual health is the way it feels when they’re not doing well. then you begin to feel a little like a parent yourself when you realize you would do anything – anything – to help them, to take their pain away, to make it better.

if caring for my parents is this hard, i can’t imagine how it’s going to feel to have children.