The other day, I was putting my 7-month-old daughter down for a nap, and she was screaming her head off protesting sleep. I, on the other hand, would have done just about anything for an hourlong nap. I wished I could have explained to her the sheer luxury of a midday nap when you have zero other responsibilities. What a life! And that's when it dawned on me: There are so many things that just finally make sense only when you're older.
So I asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell me about the things you really only "get" once you're older — the pieces of advice, life concepts, or luxuries that don't make sense when you're a kid and really only become obvious as you age. Here's what they said, along with some redditors who have their own ideas about the topic.
1. "How fast time actually passes. A year feels like an eternity when you're a kid. As an adult, I'm pretty sure I just blinked and missed the years since I left college."
2. "How limited your own perspective is. It's something you can really only learn with age. No amount of explaining will help a kid understand how biased he or she is toward his own lived experience."
3. "My mom was so tired all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when we kids were old enough to watch ourselves or go out, she was still in bed by 9 p.m. Now I realize that just existing as an adult and juggling your relationships, work around the home, bills, career, kids, and pets (if you have them) takes everything out of you. I 100% get it now. I wake up at 6 a.m. and am in bed by 9 p.m. completely pooped just from running the household!"
4. "How little $1,000 really is. When I was younger, I always thought $1,000 would change my life. Now I realize it covers like half the bills."
5. "Why we didn't have dogs growing up. It's practically a second child with its own set of medical bills and food. It still broke my heart, though... 🥲"
6. "It’s better to be alone than in bad company."
7. "The importance of having good posture and stretching often."
8. "How rare it is to find great friends you can always count on. You'll come across many friends who are nowhere to be seen the second you run into adversity."
9. "People always say that the days are long, but the years are quick. Boy, are they fucking right."
10. "The sheer power of compound interest over time."
11. "Greeting cards. When I was a kid, I took greeting cards for granted and thought presents were way more exciting. Now I cherish the birthday and holiday cards I get from my loved ones. These thoughtful, caring messages mean the world. Having handwritten notes from relatives and friends who have passed is a treasure too."
12. "My parents were right: A boring life is a happy life."
—Anonymous
13. "The idea of 'doing it for your kids.' Before I had kids, I always thought, Well, duh, of course you'd do that for your kids. But once I became a parent, I really started to understand the sacrifices people make to give their kids a better life. It makes so much sense to me now."
14. "How annoying it really must have been for my mom when she asked me to take the chicken out of the freezer and I forgot 😂."
15. "Be nice to your siblings. Friends come and go, but family is forever."
16. "'Annoying' or 'boring' activities like listening to your grandparents tell stories or eating dinner with your family. These become precious memories when people you love are gone. When we're younger, we take so many people in our lives for granted. You never know how much time you're going to get. Be grateful for 'boring.'"
17. "When I was a kid, my dad would take me to the movies whenever a new animated movie came out. He would always, without fail, fall asleep during the movie, and I would get so annoyed with him because I wanted to talk about the movie after. Plus, I used to think he wasn’t doing a good-enough job spending time with me. I was in my 20s when I realized how lucky I was to have a dad who spent time and money each month to sit with me while I enjoyed my movies, even when he was exhausted after a whole week of work. That was also around the time I started involuntarily falling asleep while watching movies with my partner. Naptime is a luxury, and it'll creep up on you sometimes, whether or not you want it, when you're an adult."
18. "The phrase 'Youth is wasted on the young.' I would always get so offended hearing that when I was a child. But I know what everyone meant now. I'm only in my mid-30s and I understand 😪."
19. "The importance of education. Like it or not, getting an education gives you an advantage. Putting in the effort while you’re young and energetic enough to keep up results in an easier life down the road. Learning how to manage time, deadlines, schedules, and materials is so important. I dropped out of high school to get a job because I thought I was clever enough to make a life that way. Without a degree, though, there were barriers to establishing a career that aligned with my talents and passions. I was 35 before I really understood the implications of the choice I made as a teenager. Now I’m a single mom and I'm in school full time. I am TIRED. If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to just get that education under my belt while I was still young and spry."
20. "Accepting that your parents actually do know what they’re talking about."
21. "That turning 18 doesn't make you an adult. Neither does graduating, getting your first home, getting married, or having a baby. It's kind of a gradual thing, and then one day you're excited because your favorite variety of potatoes is on sale, and you think, Oh, this is adulthood."
22. "My mom was pretty tough, and I always admired her confidence. She always said, 'When you’re older, you won’t care what people think about you.' She was so right. I am 40 now and certainly don't care what others think of me, but I really wish I had this attitude in my teens and 20s. My life would have been so much easier."
23. "How your body really does decline, even if you do everything right (work out, maintain a good weight, get good sleep, eat right, etc.). When you're young, you can't imagine not having the strength or energy to do anything you want to do. But as you get older, you see that the activities you once took for granted become much harder on your body."
24. "My dad told me that the older I got, the smarter he would seem. Turned out to be true."
—Anonymous
25. "That sitting outside in nice weather just doing absolutely nothing and not thinking about anything in particular is a gift."
27. "Sleep is a gift, not a punishment."
28. "I would say that the world is not black and white. What seems to be clear and straightforward becomes murkier and harder to cleanly divide as you get older."
29. "'We have food at home.' Yes, we sure as hell do, and it costs me about 10 times less than any fast-food place my kids point out every day."
