8 things you HAVE to do as a grown-up! Part one...

Nobody thinks when they are young, that being grown up isnt easy. We all think it's cool and fun...until we are grown up. Now that you are a grown up, there are several things you HAVE to do. Not because you want to. I am sure there are more than 8, but these are the essential things you HAVE to do! I will do four today, then the other four tomorrow. These are the things our parents did, and theirs before them, and now we do them and if you have grown children, you should expect them to do them as well. Now, I and every other responsible grown up adult will be the first ones to tell you, they are not always fun, customarily they require action, and most of them have a reaction if you do not bother to take care of them. But, if you want to be respected as a grown up, you need to pay attention....these are the things that sometimes feel like they will suck the life out of you, but it's the biggest parts of being grown up and you HAVE to do them. To begin:

1. PAY your bills!

They are always due on the same day of the month. Certainly everybody has a calender on their phone, so add the due date...actually, add it one week before it is due. Nothing is free. Well, not any that come in our mail. You know the ones: water, electric, car insurance, car payment (if you have one), gas, rent or house payment, medical bills and if you were foolish enough to take out a bunch of credit cards, they expect payment as well, and finally repay those school loans.

Nobody likes to do it, nobody wants to spend their money on frivolous things like electric, but, you gotta have it, it is a necessity of life. Everything is electric. Then just suck it up buttercup...and pay them bills. We have spent our whole lives doing just that. We pay our bills every month. That's why the washer and dryer run that you use, and that is how we cook the food you come here and eat, as well, the electric runs the box and the TV that you watch while your here. They all occur because we pay our bills! We maintain our own vehicles. We get or have the oil changed as required. We put tires on them when they wear out. If it needs repaired and we want it to continue to get us from point a to point b, then we get it fixed. It costs money, sorry. Sometimes more money than the normal person thinks is reasonable, but, we pay the repair bill. It's just a fact of life.

2. Put your needs on the back burner. 

You are not the most important thing in the world! I know we spent most of your childhood telling you that you were. You still rank pretty high on our list, but, as a grown up you have to set that aside and give some to someone else. Just like you were told over and over. It is better to give than receive. As parents, we learned that your needs and comfort were our top priority. You are an adult now. REALLY....if you are over 21 then you are old enough to drink, vote, go to war then you are an adult. It is time to think and act like one. ALL the time, not just at the bars or when you feel like it. Those designer mall clothes you think you have to have will be traded for the less expensive versions from Target, Walmart and Kmart. Buying clothes for a family is expensive, so you cut cost where you can to save and the one who gets cuts, is almost always the one who is footing the bill. Your children need clothes and shoes too. So that means, you are moved to the bottom of the list...or the back burner, your needs come last.

3.  Clean up your own messes.

I do not recall any of my generations parents, running behind us, picking up the pieces or cleaning up our messes. Actually, most of our parents didn't have the resources and that is NOT what they taught us or would ever in a million years do, even if they wanted to. We were adults and it was, is and always has been our job to clean up our own messes. If we got in a pickle, we pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps and faced it head on and cleaned it up ourselves. Nobody ever wants to be in the mess....nobody ever wants to have to fix it. But, we do. This something you learn...by doing it. We will gladly offer you advice and suggest modes of fixing it, but, it is your mess, you fix it.

4. Be a law abiding citizen.

YES...it has to be addressed, and yes, I am shaking my head. Believe it or they are there for a reason. They aren't just suggestions, they are laws. They are everybody's laws, not just suggestions for those who wish to follow them. We are ALL suppose to obey them, everybody is suppose to obey them.... me, the man down the street, and even you. Strangely, there are laws for just about everything. Here are a few, are you following these? Littering is against the law. EVERYWHERE in WV, and in some area's the fine can be as high as $25,000. No longer are the days of smoking indoors in most counties. All the nonsmokers had enough, went to the judicial system and made against the law. Government at it's finest. It is a law that all kids under 40lbs be in a car seat, and after that, until they are 4 ft tall they must be in an approved automobile booster seat. You, yourself must also be belted in. Wearing a seat belt is not an option, it is a WV State law that if the motor vehicle is moving all passengers must wear their seat belts. It is a law, at least in WV that you have car insurance. For your protection and all the crazies out there driving. Also, in WV we have to have coverage for the uninsured motorists...wanna know why? Cause too many fools drive around without insurance and then when they get into an accident there is no coverage and the insured driver has to cover all the costs. That stinks! I'm just saying. You must also be a licensed driver to operate a moving vehicle. That means you MUST have your license before you turn that key and peel out. WHY, because it IS A LAW! People who don't follow the rules and break the laws, are partaking in criminal behavior...didn't think of it that way, did you? The law books fill libraries...they are filled with all kinds of laws. Some of them may be foolish, but it doesn't matter, because they are laws and they must be obeyed.

That is enough for today. I pray this blog is taken as it is intended. Not to be mean or harsh, but to maybe make the muddy thinking clearer. As parents we want to help, we want the best for our kids. We just know we did a good job of raising smart children and they are completely capable of being the fine adults they were molded into. It almost seems generational. The young adults of today have gotten it all mixed up and think it's their parents job to do these things, not theirs. I hear lots of stories about grown children. Most think that everybody owes them something  or that Mom & Dad will take care of it for them.That is not the case. What amazes me is that they can't seem to understand that the things we have, we have obtained. The old fashioned way, we worked hard for the things we have. We got up and went to work. We put our needs aside and did what was expected out of us. Maybe that is where the disconnect is....maybe they don't understand that we expect the same out of them. Tomorrow the second part of the list and hopefully some words of wisdom. Who know, this blog may alienate me. But, all us parents of the 20 somethings are all thinking these things. I just got a burr in my saddle and needed to discuss it, and I am not sorry.