What are the pros of being adult?

Question

My psychologist told me to think about this question but I haven't found any answer as yet. Can you help me, please?

I hate kids because they're stupid and annoying!

I don't like alchohol, cigarettes and sex. I don't want to have a driving licence because I'm afraid that I could have an accident and unintentionally kill sb. I've always gone to bed at 11 pm and got up at 6 am. I don't have a job...

To sum it up I don't think there are any pros of being adult.

Answer 1

- you get to choose who you want to live with
- you have accumulated a lot of knowledge since you were a kid.
Since you acquired the basic knowledge set (hopefully) you can go on to the more interesting things. You can study whatever you want.
- you have a lot of experience which helps you to deal with a lot of situations
- you have many more memories
- you can go to bed whenever you want
- you can do stupid things and nobody else will get the blame/you are responsible for your own actions
- you usally earn much more money
- you can legally drink, smoke, have sex (you don't have to, but you can)
- you can get a car driving licence, so you don't have to wait around until somebody has the time to drive you
- you don't have tantrums any more, you are capable of more self control.
- you get treated like an adult

Answer 2

I don't understand the "I hate kids" comment. That plus the question makes me wonder your age, and it does matter a little in answering your question.

I must say, however, that in spite of the fact that many people have listed things here as pros, I don't know if I agree that they are. The pros of being an adult usually come with an associated con. I know what you're asking here is for a list of pros, but I want you to make an informed decision in deciding whether or not something actually IS a pro.

For example, making your own choices without having to follow the guidelines of your parents means that you have to come up with the right decisions yourself, and be responsible for however the choices turn out. And unfortunately, it often takes a while to get a handle on that. Parents, who have been practicing it for a few decades at least, generally are better at it than you are when you first start out. So it's really a whole taxing job of learning how to live. And if you do something wrong, you're the one who has to pay for it---and not just by simple parental punishment. Parental punishments are a dream compared to the punishments real life can hand out.

The drinking, smoking, and sex angle is another whole issue that goes along with it. It's not a privilege to be old enough to do any of those things; they're just left to older people because they can be dangerous to your emotional and physical well-being. It's another extremely difficult job to learn how to approach those things in your life.

While you may get more respect from other adults, they will also expect more of you: expect you to dress appropriately, expect you to be on time, expect you to be responsible for things and not slack off. Meanwhile, you will find that kids and younger adults respect you less, because they think you're too far away from what they're experiencing to relate.

And while you may get to choose who you want to live with, you also have to pay for the place where you live, and it probably won't be as nice as something your parents had when you were a child (at least not for a while). Along with this, you may have to live with a roommate to cut costs, and that doesn't usually feel like you have total freedom about your living arrangement. Alternatively, you may not find anyone to live with, and you may find life very lonely. Children are rarely in a situation where they are left alone all the time, but adults often are. You might miss having the closeness and support of family like you did when you were a child.

Knowledge and memories can also be a burden, especially as they pile up while you're attending to task one up there, learning about life. You'll undoubtedly learn a lot of thing you wish you never knew about, and you could be plagued by memories of stupid things you've done, or even by good memories of how much easier things were before.

While you may have money to spend as you wish, you will now also realize that you CAN'T spend money as you wish. If you have $20 bucks as a 13-year-old, you can go get a cheeseburger and buy some music, but as an adult, you may
have to use every spare dollar to cover your electric bill.

That said, in spite of all of those things being cons in my mind, they are, as the others said, pros of being an adult. You just have to realize that it's not as clear-cut as saying they're pros, because they are cons as well. They're both! I'll add another, which has been a revelatory sort of pro-con for me as an adult. It's somewhat related to the "memory and knowledge" angle.

I've realized that time really does pass and things really will change. As a kid, you feel like things will never happen fast enough, you will never get where you want, never be old enough, that you're stuck in a holding pattern. As an adult, you realize that was never the case, and in fact your childhood was extremely brief. You might even idealize it---but you should remember that the things you recall as being so wonderful as a child were likely fraught with their own con sides then. Because generally, any situation has its good sides and its bad.

You then eventually realize, to some degree, the effects of time and change on everything, and that helps you find what you value most and treat your life and the things in it with the appreciation they deserve. So I guess I would say that the "pro-iest" pro of becoming an adult is gaining possession of perspective.

p.s. I'm not yet a parent, but I suddenly realized I should add that being a parent yourself is probably one of the coolest experiences in life, and it can only be had by an adult!

Answer 3

I like being an adult because I can do whatever I want to whenever....I can drive wherever I want to, make my own discisions, I guess. Also, it seems like I "get more respect" or am taken more seriously by people than when I was a kid. Kids are ignored/patronized....
Being an adult has a good side and a bad side though....

Answer 4

Being able to make your own choices without having to follow the guidelines of your parents. Why do you hate kids?