5 Rules About Being A *Real Adult* That Are Actually Straight-Up Lies

Being a *real adult* is a nebulous, exciting and sometimes pretty tricky thing to master, especially in the era of ‘That Girl’ TikToks and decrees to be the Main Character of your life at all times. The pressure to have your shit together by some vague point in your early-to-mid-to-late 20s is on. Have a perfect workout routine! Own only matching activewear! Be a great plant/dog/cat parent! That’s not even including the shrieking caused by society demanding we should all own houses and have sensible jobs by the time we’re thirty.

The thing is, most “rules” about being an adult are garbage. Especially ones that focus on achieving certain milestones according to a timeline that hasn’t made sense for anyone since 1960. A swish company car and a paid-off mortgage? Not in this economy and labour market.

In the interest of dispelling pervasive myths that plague us when we lie awake at night in the dim glow of an ill-advised sunset lamp purchase, Junkee’s rounded up five rules about being a real adult that you can comfortably ignore.

1.You don’t need to get your own place instead of living with housemates

Depending on where you’re at in life — and the cost of living where you’re based — sometimes the more adult decision is moving in with housemates. Indeed, the mandate of ‘you need your own space by X years old’ does not dictate that said space must be devoid of all other human life. Living alone isn’t for everyone – in fact, it can often be the opposite of the norm, culturally speaking. You absolutely can find chill people you gel with and continue being real adults; it just so happens you’re in each other’s vicinity, that’s all…

2. You don’t have to have your driver’s license

Controversial, but we’re gonna say it. Depending on where you live, you might not need to tick off ‘get a driver’s licence’ from the Real Adult checklist. Master the art of public transport and find yourself the best deals on rideshare services, and you’ll discover that most of the time a lack of wheels isn’t actually a massive hindrance. This situation is even more true in the current WFH era, not to mention the very real savings on avoiding a vehicle’s not insubstantial upkeep.

3. You don’t need to be in a super-serious long-term relationship

Blame The Bachelor and the wedding industrial complex for brainwashing us, but there’s more to life than rushing around trying to find *your person*. Consider this: you might have multiple persons throughout your life–which is still hopefully full of varied, rich experiences. And also that romantic relationships need not be considered failures simply because they end–which goes for any relationship, really.

In fact, the more adult thing might be realising the longest relationship you’ll ever have with someone is the one you have with yourself – and your effort is better spent getting on good terms there than desperately swiping right.

4. You don’t need to let go of certain hobbies after a set age

Hobbies can keep us entertained; they can keep us fit; they can provide mental stimulation and a massive amount of stress relief. Why wouldn’t figuring out what you enjoy doing and spending however long you want to hone that interest be a real adult thing to do?

If it’s not hurting anyone and you’re not compromising on your non-hobby responsibilities. In that case, we’d say gaming, watching anime, collecting Warhammer figurines and spending your Saturday intricately painting your Space Marines is entirely real adult shit.

5. You don’t need to have your life planned out to a tee

Alright, a bit ambiguous, but perhaps the single best ethos you can apply to any seemingly serious advice people like to throw around. (Think: you need to have plants, you need to hang art on the walls, you need to have matching cutlery.) The thing about being an adult is that you are liberated from nearly every rule when you realise that everyone is simply making it up.

Yep —  the biggest truth bomb of them all.

So many of the “rules” of being a real adult, or pressures to adhere to a strict timeline for life milestones or achievements, are not only not realistic, but they’ll probably distract you from realistically getting on with living your life in the way that’s right for you. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t pursue career progression, a financial goal or having a family when you want: go for it! But do it on your terms, without listening to well-meaning but often biased and unhelpful advice.
Also, deciding if someone is an adult based on what’s in their cutlery drawer? Please. Grow up.

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(Lead  Image: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels)