While doom-scrolling I came across a reel which made me have a borderline existential crisis. “2007 kids will be turning 18 next year”. This statement made my whole world fall apart. As you might have guessed I was born in 2007 and like other kids my age, I don’t feel grown up. I don’t feel responsible enough to be an “adult” yet I will have to bear this burden whether I am ready or not. That is downright terrifying. 

While we were kids, we looked up to the adults around us to guide us and direct us as we thought they knew what they were doing. Well they must know what they are doing, they’re adults, aren’t they? Now, on the cusp of “adulthood” or at least on the cusp of becoming a legal adult, I am utterly clueless about life. I am clueless about living alone, cooking for myself, washing my own clothes, doing a job and further down the line, the thought of marriage and children fills me with dread. It's not that I wouldn't like a wife and kids, it's just that being in such a serious relationship and being one of the two parents of a child and being responsible for his upbringing, providing him with the necessities and desires of life and making sure that he grows up to be a good human seem like a herculean endeavor. I haven't grown up yet and I know that the responsibility of children will come later on but I cannot imagine a time right now when I would be "grown up" enough to become a child's guardian. What if due to my inexperience, I taught my child something wrong or made a bad decision, down the road how would it affect my child? And the nail in the coffin is that I will be primarily responsible for this mistake because he is my child.

When these thoughts crossed my mind, I began to wonder whether my parents or the adults around me were so clueless and doubtful regarding raising children and adult life in general. This is an oddly comforting thought so to confirm this theory of mine I asked the adults around me whether they are confident in the decisions they regularly make, specifically decisions regarding their children, and turns out they fear the consequences of a decision just like us. They don’t know most of the time what they’re doing. They share the same fears as us.

 Uncertainty and anxiety about the future still take hold of me every now and then. On such occasions, I remind myself that I am not the only person going through such fears. They are natural for every human being. The transition from teenage life to adulthood is no doubt an unsettling one but we have to realize that we are not alone in this battle. If you are also terrified about being an adult just remind yourself of this, maybe everyone is just trying their best to navigate through the maze that is life. No one has a map for life for swift and easy travel. Everyone is in this struggle together and you are definitely not alone.

 In general, we humans tend to assume that no one else is going through the same problems as us. What we often overlook is that, just like us, many people do not openly show their problems to the world. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and ask some of your closest friends are relatives if they have or are going through the same problems as you. You will come to find that the answer is mostly yes. Therefore, you don’t need to bear the burden alone. Seek help and confide in the people close to you. Bearing it together, your burden will surely get lighter and you will likely find come comfort.