10 Things… That Nobody Tells You About Becoming A Grown-Up

Oh growing up, it all seemed like such a good idea when we were young. We thought that being an adult would be all about the trendy clothes, gorgeous men and fabulous careers but basically, we're just tackling the same dramas with a much scarier bank balance. Here are some of the things we wish we'd been told...

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Getting post is never fun... it's always a bill We loved getting post when we were younger, as it was generally a birthday card or something else involving money. Unfortunately, once you become an adult, post becomes about losing money rather than gaining it. There is no dread like seeing that Electric Ireland envelope coming through the door... You will have to set aside time to be hungover Getting up for that 9am lecture might have been no bother during Freshers Week but once you hit adulthood, each big night out needs to be followed by a pre-allocated day of feeling sorry for yourself, hiding under the duvet and searching frantically through your phone for hints about the night before. Having a job does not mean that you'll have money When we were teenagers, we were counting down the days until we had a full-time job and could afford as many clothes, nights out and VHS box-sets as we wanted. How come we seem to have less money now?! Your siblings will become your best friends You drove each other crazy as kids and learned to tolerate each other by your teenage years but chances are, your sister or brother will be your go-to BFF by the time you reach adulthood. They know you better than anyone else, will give you their 'no holds barred' unbiased opinion and forgive you for even the worst of fights - total keepers. Penneys will still be your favourite place to shop Penneys to a broke student is a gift from God but we always presumed that our wardrobe would be a classy collection of Zara, Topshop and the odd designer find by the time we were a 'grown-up'. Wrong. 'Thanks, it's from Penneys' is still our national anthem. Your love life will still be as complicated at 40 as it was at 14 We always imagined that by our mid-twenties we'd have the whole dating thing down, have found a lovely fella and resemble Kate Hudson at the end of one of her many rom-coms. Unfortunately, we've discovered that things ain't quite so straightforward. The freedom of living away from home isn't really worth losing all the perks While it's nice to be able to have your boyfriend over without sneaking him in the back window, the neverending pile of laundry, dependence on microwave dinners and monstrous rent bills kinda takes the shine off it. You'll happily choose a night in bed over a night out As an energetic young wan, it was hard to imagine ever choosing a night in with Ryan Tubridy and The Late Late Show over hitting the busiest nightclub in town but it happened... and we're not even ashamed. You'll start to agree with your parents opinion Nothing is more frustrating than having to listen to your parents tear apart your plans for work/travel/dating/world domination but as it turns out, they're generally right. An informed opinion from someone with your best interests at heart is pretty invaluable and we'd be lost without it now! You'll still be figuring everything out There is no point in your life where you'll have everything sorted. Sorry. Regardless of what age we are, we'll still be bluffing our way through a work crisis, deciphering texts from the man/woman in our life and hoping that nobody figures out what an absolute unorganised disaster we are behind closed doors. The good news? Everyone else is doing the same.