One More Step Toward Adulthood

I have taken many steps on the path to adulthood:

- I make myself eat veggies even when I don't WANT to

- I've learned how to tolerate and even like coffee (although not without tons of milk and sugar)

- I've walked in the ceremony for my law school graduation

- I worry about things like health insurance and what to cook for dinner

- I've gained some (although limited) experience with foreign concepts like: "tax deductible," "downpayment," and "toilet bowl brushes"

- The appropriate response upon hearing a friend or relative is pregnant is more often "congrats" than "oh sh*t!"

- I watch my husband pay my car insurance- I was going to tell you all that I pay my car insurance but that would totally be a lie.

BUT BY FAR, today's experience has made me feel the most grown up out of any other adult step I have taken. Today, for the first time in my life, I paid a babysitter. Think about that for a moment...For a good decade and a half of my life I have BEEN the babysitter. Now here I am, interviewing awkward teens thinking "how are YOU good enough for MY baby?"

Rather than spending late nights waiting for some other children's parent to come home with a big fat check for me, I'm the one dolling out the big bucks (dang, childcare is expensive). Seriously people- how did this happen? I'm too young to be the "parent!" Where did my childhood go?! Then, after I PAID the babysitter, I *gasp* DROVE the babysitter home. The first time I actually said the phrase, "I have to drive the babysitter home" I almost choked on my own breath.

I used to think parents were crazy when they would be out on a rare date and keep calling home to check in on their kids. I used to wonder if parents really meant "help yourself to anything in the fridge" when they said it. I used to wonder why they would often come home later than they told me they would come home. And now I totally understand it all.

But you know what? I kind of miss being the babysitter.