Omigosh, JAM, you're echoing my thoughts again.

mature--at a grocery store in Hawaii when some little kid screamed, "Mommy! That LADY smiled at me!"

totally mature--lying on the delivery table with my newborn daughter, thinking, "I am a MOTHER now. I couldn't be a mother! But I am!"

getting old--attending funerals of peers

i went back to valdosta for a wedding of a friend of mine. . .
and i made 3 of my friends drive down with me. . .
and everyone decided to go out to the club that night. . .
and when we got to rick's, it was packed
but me and my friends were the only ones dressed like we were out for a night on the town. . .
guys kept walking up to us saying 'you're not from here, are you?'
i explained that i had went to school there my freshman year
and they kept commenting how nice we were dressed
and i was like, 'well, i live in the city and we ALWAYS dress up to go out. . .everyone here wears black pants and an Express top. . .that is so freshman year. . .'

then, i stopped and realized. . .oh my goodness, listen how snobby and grown-up you sound. . .

I felt "grown up" when I had to fill out a 1040EZ form for the first time, when I had my first apartment, and when I had my first real relationship.

Just wait until you can't use 1040EZ anymore. Then you're grown up :) (this will be my first time!)

I got a big dose of how I've aged today when I yelled at a kid at work to leave something alone. I sounded just like my father. What the Hell.

I work with high schoolers, so I am constantly reminded that I am not a kid anymore. I even catch myself every once in a while saying, "Well, when I was in high school..."

Having high schoolers call you ma'am at 24, that'll make you feel old really quick.

most days i'm still waiting to feel grown up...

i suppose when i get married and have a baby, i may finally feel grown up... lol

Quite a while back, visiting a male friend in the town where he teaches high school, we ran into a bunch of his kids. These were high school juniors or seniors, and we were (at the time) only 22 and 27 respectively, so we're not even that much older than them.

But the kids walked up to me and my (unmarried) friend, and said "Hi Mr. Smits... oh... you must be Mrs. Smits!" and hearing whispers in the background "That's his wife!"

What really ground it in was that I actually was engaged to him for a while :o

the realization of growing up hit me when by best friend from high school decided to leave me and make a new identity for herself and is now getting married. we used to be so close that my identity was dependent upon hers. so i had to become my own person. that was hard. i still dont like too much. oh well. gotta grow up.

Getting in a car accident this year and not having Momma and Daddy to take care of everything. I had to deal with the cop and the insurance, and make the decisions without having anyone to fall back on.

I also got to utter the infamous: "Charge me or let me go!"

That'll make anyone grow up right fast.

~Emma

"ma'am" (It's a contraction of 'Madam').

For me, I guess the first time I could consider myself 'grown up' was going to college. And it was a very tough time getting used to doing things on your own after 18 or so years of having things done for you.

A few years back, when my chapter rechartered, we had the celebration to end all celebrations. I was probably one of the soberest ones in the house - while my new undergraduate brethren were slamming down beers like there was no tomorrow, I nursed my beer for the longest time (at least until it became too warm to drink) and watch the undergrads get thoroughly FUBAR in no time.

The watchword for the alumni at the rechartering weekend was 'oh... to be eighteen and stupid again!' Realizing that it was only about 10-15 years since we were undergrads. And 10-15 years experience in the game of life is enough to sober up many a person.

The first time I had to testify in court. I was working as a social worker and had to testify about child's parent. Even though she wanted her son she wasn't capable of caring for him.

-When I got my own insurance card. It had only my name and not DEPENDENT with my father's name.

-When my friends and I got rear ended by a Semi tractor trailer and I called my parents to tell them. They drove an hour to be with me and then... my friends drove me back to school and my parents went home. God how I cried for my momma that week!

-When my boyfriend and I were out about two weeks ago and this little girl said "Momma look at the man and woman, they are holding hands like you and daddy do". WOW!

-When I realized that I am no longer looking for a boyfriend because he is cute or popular but because he can be emotionally stable for me and ambition is sexier anyway.

When I spent $500 on a washer and dryer instead of a new stereo.

Ooo! Oh yeah, the big moment that occurs when you yell at a kid and you sound like your parent! On my honor, this happens to everyone.