The friends disappear, the parents grow old
The biggest problems of adult life
Most children ignore the fact that their own parents need help at some point for a long time
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On Reddit, users discuss what they would have liked to have known about adulthood in the past. Some problems are commonplace, others concern existential issues.
It’s one of those things about adulthood: children dream about it and imagine how they will shape their lives when they grow up. Later on, the disappointment is great – because adult life also brings with it many duties that no one has told you about before.
A user on the social media platform Reddit wanted to know from the community: “What are problems in adult life that you weren’t prepared for?” School and family should contribute to giving a child everything they need as an adult – but that doesn’t always work, as the answers show.
Laundry, cleaning, shopping – when should you do it all?
It is noticeable that some problems keep cropping up. Apparently, many find it difficult to make decisions – especially when they are under time pressure. Generally speaking, the responsibility is so great. Repairs, finances, laundry, bills, shopping – “that takes up too much space in my head,” someone writes. “It is very exhausting to organize everything at home when I have to work 40 hours a week,” agrees another user.
In fact, the little things in life can be very stressful once you are no longer with your parents. For one user it is a big problem that his vegetables go bad too quickly, another finds it exhausting to constantly think about what to eat. In addition, household chores such as washing clothes or cleaning take up a lot of time if you have to do them yourself.
Friendships change – and parents grow old
But social life is also changing. Many notice this especially when they start their job and are no longer able to dispose of their time as flexibly as they are used to. As an adult, it is difficult to maintain friendships and make new friends, some users have noticed. “I have no more friends except my wife and my children,” writes one user. “I’m not lonely, but I miss this part of my life.”
Nothing is forever – this applies not only to friendships, but also to one’s own family. In the opinion of many users, there is one thing in particular that as a young person you are not at all prepared for: seeing your parents grow old. “Seeing my parents and realizing how much they look like my grandparents used to be – that hit me,” says one user. One of the worst things in adult life is when parents need more help than you can give them yourself, someone added.
And another remembers the moment when it suddenly became clear to him: “My father always tidied his garage up to the last corner. I recently went into the garage and it was chaos. I knew that he had dementia was diagnosed, but I didn’t want to admit it until I actually saw it. ”
source: Reddit
This article originally appeared on stern.de.