When Will I Stop Being A Teenager?

I’m twenty-six and I feel like I’m living in a state of limbo. On one hand, I’m told that I’m an adult; I have a career and I am expected to take responsibility for certain things. On the other hand, I still feel like I’m a kid; I’m still figuring out my life and feeling the stresses of growing up. I’m stuck in the middle, neither a kid nor an adult, so when will I stop being a teenager?

Adulthood is a strange situation to find myself in. It can be both exciting and frustrating at the same time. I’m no longer beholden to my parents like I was as a kid and I have a chance to explore the world and make my own decisions. At the same time, I am painfully aware of how much I don’t know and it can be hard to accept that I can’t turn to anyone else to figure it out.

The pressure to ‘grow up’ can be immense and there seems to be a never ending pressure to do more and do better. I have a career and a house, but are these really signs that I’m an adult? I still don’t feel like I’ve really made it into adulthood. I still feel like I’m just muddling through and trying to get by.

The truth is that everyone’s timeline is different and there is no right or wrong answer to when we should all stop being teenagers. Some people seem to transition more seamlessly than others, but for most of us, it is a long and winding road filled with ups and downs, successes and failures. We learn and grow from our experiences, both good and bad, and eventually start to understand who we are and what we want from life.

We may not be able to pinpoint an exact moment when we transition from teenager to adult, but over time, we begin to develop the wisdom, experience, and responsibility to understand that adulthood isn’t about having a title or achieving certain milestones; it’s about accepting life for what it is and making choices that reflect our values, beliefs, and sense of self. As we embrace adulthood and our unique paths, we gain a deep understanding of ourselves and the world around us.