I mean, I’m not qualified enough to talk about what it’s like being in your twenties, as I’ve only just about existed for over two decades. Two whole decades. Wow.
But life doesn’t change that much between 21 and 25 right? [It does]. I’m not a teenager anymore and, though I still live with my parents and have yet to finish my degree and start adulting, I feel ready for adulthood. In my mind, I am a fully grown 27 year old woman. Where are my children.
Basically, your early 20s are great. Because you’re an adult [yeah, you still can’t sit with the adults when you’re 18], BUT you’re not adult enough to do the adult things required of a 25 year old. Like have a stable career and 65 children. You’re an adult but you’re still forgiven for being a child. Amazing. Let’s begin.
1. Your interests change, and you realise that it isn’t such a bad thing. Gone are the days where you fear for the day you’ll stop being excited over ‘cool’ things, and you learn the beauteous wonder of spending your money on expensive feather duvets and high thread count sheets, rather than blowing it all in HMV. When CDs and posters were an actual thing we bought.
2. Being constantly told to go out and travel. All old people have this thing when speaking to people who are in university, or who have just left university. Travel. Travel whilst you have the energy. ‘But I have no money’. “Doesn’t matter. You’re young, and your back is stable enough to survive cheap beds and backpacking. Get all the worldly experience in your pocket whilst you can, or you’ll regret it when you get to my age and you can’t do anything”.
3. The phases are gone. Remember when your adult relatives would tell you that you were going through a ‘phase’ with your death metal and greasy bangs? It’s noT A PHASE, IT’S A LIFESTYLE MOM* (*intentionally misspelt). Yeah, it totally was a phase and lets just destroy all photos circa mid 00’s, yes?
4. You aren’t treated like a child! Debatable, depending on what your family is like. Once you hit 21, you can finally talk back to that shitty uncle of yours. Tonight, we dine with the adults.
5. You are both old enough and young enough to do whatever you want. Probably the most CRUCIAL thing on this list. Old enough to drive, young enough to go wherever and whenever you want. Old enough to work a job that pays above minimum wage, young enough to blow that money on whatever you want. Old enough to say “I’m 23, I can do what I want”, young enough to say “I’m only 23, I’m living my life”. Old enough to have some responsibility, young enough to not know what to do with it.
6. Your friend circle condenses. Can’t relate, because I’ve always had a triangle. But for many, it’s a time of discarding and deleting all those acquaintances that you referred to as friends, and realising just how many useless people you had on your snapchat and Facebook. I assume it feels freeing to delete 29394 people that you barely even know.
7. You learn things you thought you’d never know about. Financing, insurance, motorways, writing a LETTER OF RESIGNATION from that godforsaken job you’d been at for so many years. Just because you’re old enough to be a pro at your job but young enough to just up and say ‘I quit, you shitty maggots.’
8. Your body isn’t yet forever ruined. As we all know, your metabolism slows down as you get older and before you know it, you’re a flabby parent saying “I’ve had 3 kids and no time to exercise”. Ignore the older people who stare at your toned frame in envy saying “yeah wait till you have kids”. You don’t need to look like a whale. In your early 20s you’ve got a little money, a little time and a lot of energy [lol or none of those things], and this will set you up for the years to come. Start exercising regularly if you haven’t already; make it a habit and you’ll still be looking fine at 35. Even after having 3 kids.
9. It’s acceptable to still be living with your parents. Because let’s face it, even in Asian families, where there’s almost no way we’re moving out before we’re married, there comes an age where your mother starts pushing you to get out. This pushing begins when you hit early 20s, whilst at the same time they’re not letting you leave until you’re financially stable. And as soon as you hit 25, there’s clearly something wrong with you if you’re still living at home with no plan of leaving.
10. You’re at your prime age. You’re not too old, you’re not too young. Your skin is clear but you can fleek the makeup. You have money, but you don’t have as many bills as you will have later on. You have freedom, but can still rely on older figures for help. Old enough to be married with a child, young enough to be travelling the world. ALL THE CHOICES.