These 30 Things Are The Adult Equivalents Of Finding Out Santa Isn’t Real, According To Netizens

Transitioning into adulthood brings with it a series of realizations that can be both challenging and enlightening. Despite our best efforts, facts don't always align with our expectations. Adulthood also introduces nuanced choices, each carrying potential long-term consequences and often involving trade-offs.

As you get older, you come to realize that your parents are just people trying to do their best, your paycheck never goes as far as you’d like it to, hard work doesn’t always deliver rich rewards, and life is full of mundane activities you’d rather not spend so much time on, like laundry and washing the dishes after dinner.

Adulting properly means ongoing learning and adaptation. The skills and knowledge that brought you success in the past might not cut it for future challenges, so a commitment to personal and professional growth is of critical importance. Along the way you’re bound to have to make some sacrifices, but that’s called growing up.

Forming and maintaining friendships as an adult are harder too. Unlike the spontaneous connections of youth, adult friendships often need to be scheduled and nurtured amidst busy lives. This is when you discover that some friendships just weren’t meant to last the test of time, while others can survive anything life throws at them.

If you’re struggling to face up to the harsh realities of life as an adult, you might find comfort in Stoicism, an ancient Greek philosophy that emphasizes the development of self-control, virtue, and rational thinking to achieve inner peace and resilience. Founded in the early 3rd century BC, it teaches that while we cannot control external events, we can control our responses to them, thereby cultivating tranquility and equanimity. 

The key principles of Stoicism include focusing on what you can control, practicing the four cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance, and accepting fate, or embracing events as they happen. Incorporating Stoic practices into your daily life can lead to personal growth and a more balanced perspective, which is never a bad thing.

In her article for the Develop Good Habits website, Nicole Krause lists things all adults should know - an Adulting 101 of sorts. Krause suggests developing your financial know-how by getting to grips with your budget, taking your domestic duties seriously, maintaining good eating habits, and making a point of seeing your doctor and dentist.

In his article for Psychology Today, licensed marriage and family therapist, John Kim, writes that adulting is a process - it takes lots of trial and error and hard reminders from life and expired relationships. Kim advises taking full responsibility for where you’re at in your life, checking your ego, practicing gratitude, and always being honest with yourself. 

It’s fair to say it’s a hard knock life for us adults but always remember the freedom that comes with being a grown-up; it’s what you lusted after when you were still a kid with a curfew and no car to call your own.

What do you think of the facts about adulting netizens have shared in this list? Are any of them hitting home for you? Upvote your favorites and don’t forget to leave a comment if you can relate!