Putting Away Childish Things

I have been staying out of grown folks' business for 21 years (that means I'm eleventeen years old, by the way), but I am slowly realizing that in the next few months I am going to be expected to be an adult. (!!!) Needless to say, it's scary to think about living up to those expectations. I mean, think about it. Being an "adult" is serious! I don't even know what all it entails beyond paying bills, which I already do now. But I have a small idea:

What Being an Adult Means to Me

-- having to actually pay attention to news and views, without being able to call and have my Mama give me the gist of world events.

-- not being able to use my age as an excuse for ordering from the kid's menu at restaurants (even though I like fish sticks better than salmon, but I'm just gonna have to suck that up).

-- having to read a lot of books of my own volition (because I'm going to be expected to be a well-rounded individual, of course).

-- having to actually know what a mortgage is, and knowing how the process of getting one works.

-- being responsible for smushing the spiders and other miscellaneous creeps that I come across, without being able to run away and get someone else to do the dirty work.

-- not getting to wear jeans 6 days out of the week (a very, very scary thing for me, lol).

Those listed above are the duties I am fearing most. Trivial they are not, I assure you. But by and by I'm becoming reconciled to these things becoming a part of my life. Maturing is gonna be awesome! Right. Whatever.

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You get a verse and a song today! Lucky you!

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a [wo]man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then we shall see face to face. ~ 1 Cor. 13: 11-12

And now a snippet from Janet Jackson, from the album Control (1986). Oddly enough, the name of the song is Control:

When I was 17, I did what people told me -

Did what my father said, and let my mother mold me.

But that was long ago, I'm in

Control.

Never gonna stop, to get what I want...

Now I'm all grown up.

Got my own mind,

I wanna make my own decisions

when it has to do with my life, my life

I wanna be the one in control.

That's right!