My eldest son testing out the facilities at our local climbing gym
I don’t like to think of myself as an adult. In a lot of aspects I still believe I am 20. When facing someone who is really 20 I quickly get pulled out of that vision though. Anyway, when you have children you are faced with the aspects of adulthood from the early morning; “Mom! I’m awake!” until the last dishes are cleaned and the teddies and toy cars are put back in their box at night. You cannot escape it. You have to become at least part adult. Having kids also forces you to take responsibility. 24/7. And that even makes it hard to remember the feeling of not having any responsibility which defines the 20’ies. And maybe the 30’ies, as was my case until I got pregnant. The good thing about children though, is that they allow you to nurture the playful part of your yourself, so you don’t have to be a boring adult all the time!
Another beautiful aspect of having children is the joy of sharing moments with them. I dream about taking my kids climbing and hiking in the mountains more often than I dream about doing it on my own. Before I was only interested in doing my own things. Going on expeditions or other exiting adventures. Ok. I haven’t stopped dreaming about it, but I now think of all the fun I will have doing this with my children in the future. I did a little test today to see if my eldest one liked climbing, and there is no doubt he did.
For me adulthood is when you stop putting yourself first. When the excitement of your children is more important than your own satisfaction. When your satisfaction is actually derived from the smile on their faces and the light in their eyes. There are many other aspects of adulthood of course, but for me this is the most important one. In that sense I define myself as an adult. In the other ones?…..Hmmm……
Anniken Binz 