Well, it's happened. I can hardly believe it, but my eldest has turned 18! It's quite a milestone for her, and me. She's excited to be officially recognised as an adult and I feel officially recognised as ancient!
I think most people would say that it's not until you're well into your 20s that you feel grown up and possibly not until you're earning and you've paid your own bills! For me, it wasn't until I was a mum, and completely responsible for someone else, that I felt, terrifyingly, like I'd well and truly reached adulthood.
There are earlier signs, though, that you are turning into an adult and so I thought it would be fun to share some of them (well, 18 signs to be exact):
1. You have your own shopping list for IKEA - before you just dragged along behind your parents and whined about getting a hotdog. Now you've looked online and through the catalogue, you know what's new, you've measured, you have a colour scheme and you've written down the aisle number.
2. You regularly go to bed before 11pm - you're yawning by 9pm and off to the land of nod long before younger siblings.
3. You understand light fittings - you know what a 'bayonet cap' is and you might have even changed a lightbulb.
4. You've plucked up enough courage to actually leave a message - and what's more, it made sense
5. You enjoy a trip to the garden centre - it's a serious sign of age when you catch yourself looking at bulbs and spring bedding plants
6. You're excited by a Friday night in - a wild night out just sounds exhausting - Netflix and your fluffy onesie - bliss
7. Your houseplants are alive - sometimes you talk to them
8. You consult the weather forecast before making plans - if it's going to be cold you might even wear a coat
9. You choose to eat a salad - jaffa cakes are no longer considered as part of your '5 a day' and you try to make healthy choices once in a while
10. You don't buy the cheapest bottle - it's not cheap alcohol you're after, instead you enjoy a glass of decent wine
11. You've managed to kill a spider in your room by yourself - even if that involved throwing a shoe at it with your eyes closed
12. When you have friends round you actually prepare food - an open bag of dorritos doesn't count. You take time to present food nicely and you might even use the oven
13. You don't have to be asked to clean your room - you take pride in making your room look like the picture on Pinterest. You change your (co-ordinated) bedding regularly, know all about hoover attachments and have even been known to dust!
14. You've spent your own money on cushions and candles - you might even have a summer and winter collection
15. You start to reminise - yep, nostalgia creeps up on you and before you know it you're telling 'Do you remember when...' stories
16. You take your make up off before going to bed - you take skin care seriously and begin to worry about sun aging
17. You've scheduled your own dentist's/doctor's appointment - what's more, you don't expect a sticker or lollypop at the end
18. New socks make you happy
So, there you have it: my comprehensive checklist. Even if you can tick all of these, don't grow up too fast, my lovely daughter. Honour the child inside and do something ridiculous every so often (though please not anything too expensive or anything that involves a trip to the police station!)
