Life is full of hard truths, but sometimes it takes a while to discover them. Kids believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus, but it’s inevitable that these fantasies will come crashing down once they get older.
Someone asked the internet, “What’s the adult equivalent of realizing that Santa Claus doesn’t exist?” and netizens were only too happy to share their lessons about the harsh realities of adulting. Here’s our pick of some of the best answers.
More info: Reddit
#1
Money CAN buy happiness.
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#2
Bad things happen to good people and there’s nothing you can do about it but endure.
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#3
That your parents are just people trying to get through life too!!
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Transitioning into adulthood brings with it a series of realizations that can be both challenging and enlightening. Despite our best efforts, facts don't always align with our expectations. Adulthood also introduces nuanced choices, each carrying potential long-term consequences and often involving trade-offs.
As you get older, you come to realize that your parents are just people trying to do their best, your paycheck never goes as far as you’d like it to, hard work doesn’t always deliver rich rewards, and life is full of mundane activities you’d rather not spend so much time on, like laundry and washing the dishes after dinner.
#4
Realizing that no matter how good you are at your job — You. Are. Expendable.
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#5
Grades mean nothing once you leave school.
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#6
Religion is all social control.
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Adulting properly means ongoing learning and adaptation. The skills and knowledge that brought you success in the past might not cut it for future challenges, so a commitment to personal and professional growth is of critical importance. Along the way you’re bound to have to make some sacrifices, but that’s called growing up.
Forming and maintaining friendships as an adult are harder too. Unlike the spontaneous connections of youth, adult friendships often need to be scheduled and nurtured amidst busy lives. This is when you discover that some friendships just weren’t meant to last the test of time, while others can survive anything life throws at them.
#7
We're all still children in aging bodies.
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#8
- the day you realize you’re the same age as your parents were when you were a kid, and you have no idea of what you’re doing.
- There is no justice in the universe. Terrible people will profit from terrible things, compound wealth, and live to a ripe old age without ever facing accountability. Good people will struggle every day until they die.
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#9
It's always been the haves vs the have-nots.
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If you’re struggling to face up to the harsh realities of life as an adult, you might find comfort in Stoicism, an ancient Greek philosophy that emphasizes the development of self-control, virtue, and rational thinking to achieve inner peace and resilience. Founded in the early 3rd century BC, it teaches that while we cannot control external events, we can control our responses to them, thereby cultivating tranquility and equanimity.
The key principles of Stoicism include focusing on what you can control, practicing the four cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance, and accepting fate, or embracing events as they happen. Incorporating Stoic practices into your daily life can lead to personal growth and a more balanced perspective, which is never a bad thing.
#10
Not everyone is going to like you.
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#11
College doesnt necessarily equate to having a good, high paying job.
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#12
Extra costs of owning a home.
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In her article for the Develop Good Habits website, Nicole Krause lists things all adults should know - an Adulting 101 of sorts. Krause suggests developing your financial know-how by getting to grips with your budget, taking your domestic duties seriously, maintaining good eating habits, and making a point of seeing your doctor and dentist.
In his article for Psychology Today, licensed marriage and family therapist, John Kim, writes that adulting is a process - it takes lots of trial and error and hard reminders from life and expired relationships. Kim advises taking full responsibility for where you’re at in your life, checking your ego, practicing gratitude, and always being honest with yourself.
#13
Realizing that human nature doesn’t change and that greed, stupidity, and cruelty will be with us forever.
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#14
Being a loyal hard worker is not the way to get ahead for most people 🤷 .
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#15
Thinking that as an adult, you can do anything you want.
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It’s fair to say it’s a hard knock life for us adults but always remember the freedom that comes with being a grown-up; it’s what you lusted after when you were still a kid with a curfew and no car to call your own.
What do you think of the facts about adulting netizens have shared in this list? Are any of them hitting home for you? Upvote your favorites and don’t forget to leave a comment if you can relate!
#16
That 401Ks were never supposed to be the retirement plan, they were originally supposed to supplement your pension.
Also, pensions.
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#17
Discovering that HR works for the company’s best interests, not the employees’.
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#18
That politicians really care.
Easter bunny is a fraud.
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#19
Nothings really free everything has a price.
Most people really are just winging it.
There is no right way, just ways we know work.
There are no good billionaires.
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#20
When people do something to p**s you off, most of the time it’s not malice, it’s incompetence.
Edit: in other words, don’t take things so personally.
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#21
The stock market is a ponzi scheme manipulated by the largest holders. Social Security is not guaranteed and our elected officials sold us out. Taxation is without representation since at least the 1980s.
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#22
That you’re not indestructible and back pain does eventually happen.
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#23
That you can bust your a*s at work day in and day out and still never get ahead.
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#24
Trickle down economics.
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#25
Figuring out how tariffs actually work.
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#26
Mortgage interest paid doesn't equal like, a $20k tax return.
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#27
Dolly lied about the 9-5 thing it’s at LEAST 8-5.
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#28
Believing insurance will take care of you.
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#29
That school's primary function is not about getting you a job that you really enjoy, but instead it's about being part of the big economic machine.
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#30
Paying taxes.
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