Today I went to the supermarket and for a full five minutes, tried to figure out which brand of laundry detergent to buy. Yesterday I pan-fried a chicken for the first time. I overcooked it so it was a little dry but hey, no-one died of salmonella poisoning so I’m chuffed. A few weeks ago I bought an ironing board. It felt like a milestone.

Now, you may laugh especially because if you know me, then you’ll know I’m not exactly a domestic goddess. In fact, I am not even close. All my life things have always been done for me; bought for me; handed to me and I am grateful for the many privileges I’ve been afforded. So when I express my eagerness to start paying my own bills, clean my own toilet and cook my own dinner I receive bewildered looks: “Who in their right mind would give up such a cushy lifestyle?!”

The answer’s simple really. Growing up is about becoming your own person and taking full control of your own life by making decisions which steer its course – including which laundry detergent to buy. These tiny decisions together culminate into a set of experiences which give us the self-assurance to make that transition into the big, scary world of adulthood – a world where we have to settle for the same veggie stir-fry for 7 days straight (lunch and dinner!); where we no longer have an unlimited supply of fresh underwear to pick from; and where we actually have to make sense of our health care plans (anyone? anyone?).

Having (sorta) moved out of home for a whole month now, I can safely say that being a grown up is a tough job…

…but I’m enjoying every minute of it.

x Grandma AL

Image: London Kebabs by Dominic Clifford