When I hit 18, no one ever gave me a manual for the rest of my life. I was never told about the adversities that can occur in the years to come. Well, that’s a lie. My parents did, but I was 18 and didn’t really care to listen. The minute you enter your 20s, everything changes. You are no longer a kid and it’s time to face the real world. Your 20s are so supposed to be full of life, experience, tough times and money spending.

Turning 21 was supposed to be the best day of my life. It was the day I had been waiting for. I was going to be in Las Vegas living it up. Ever since I turned 18, I had been dying for this day to come. And then 21 came, and suddenly I wanted to go back a few years. I came to realize that not everything is as peachy as I thought it would be. Being 21 is actually harder than I thought!

Being 21 was supposed to be great. Being able to buy alcohol was supposed to put the icing on the cake of adulthood. I got my first taste of adulthood at the mere age of eight, when I asked my dad for a sip of his cool alcoholic beverage. Not knowing what I had just done, I then went to my uncle where he also let me taste his drink, and so did my other uncle after him. The funny thing about my sad, early attempt at bar hopping is that it made me think of how cool it was going to be to actually be able to do this legally when I was older. Yeah, not so much. I didn’t think about all the strings attached.

Since I’m considered an “adult” in the eyes of society and my parents, there’s not much I can really get away with now. Being in your 20s isn’t all that exciting. The big difference is that you can actually buy your own alcohol, yet you still can’t rent a car at a low rate. Ever since I was little, I’ve had to take on so much. Those who are in their 20s definitely don’t live in a state of nirvana.

There are so many things that those under the age of 20 don’t have to deal with, such as car payments, rent, groceries, school and work. Now I’m not saying that teenagers don’t have to deal with similar responsibilities, but most teenagers get financial support from their parents.

Junior biology major Guadalupe Romero says that being in your 20s is harder than people imagine.

“I never thought being in my 20s would be so tough. There are so many things to deal with,” Romero said. “When you hit the age of 20s, everything just starts getting tougher to deal with, such as your age, finances, school and work.”

So many things run through the mind when thinking about life. What’s my calling? I’ve never been in a long-term relationship. Is that bad? How long am I going to depend on my parents? How long am I allowed to stay dependent on my parents?

Undeclared freshman Bryan Patton believes he will feel the fire of responsibilities when his 20s roll around.

“When I get into my 20s I will definitely be dealing with the adversity of living by myself with no financial support,” Patton said. Patton said he knows he will have more on his plate as he gets older and is not looking forward to the life of a 20-something-year- old.

The difficulty of life in my 20s was something I didn’t expect. I was ready to set sail on Easy Street and sit on cruise control as I watched my parents mail in my tuition payment along with my car, insurance and credit card payments. As the water from the sprinklers hit my face, I woke up and realized I was the one standing in front of the mailbox getting ready to mail the payments. And it didn’t help that the mailman was looking at me funny waiting for me to put the envelopes in the box.

It’s hard to let your innocence and adolescent years go. You did nothing to earn it, yet you work so hard to get it back. Are these the years of reasoning and discipline? Is this where you are truly capable of caring for yourself and not depending on any assistance from anyone? Maybe, but I’m not ready to dive right into that just yet. So to all those waiting and peeing your pants in anticipation to be in your 20s, don’t hold you breath. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.