You might have seen the somewhat-viral photo of this dishtowel floating around Instagram, Twitter and other social media sites. I found it in The Westerner, one of my favorite stores, during my vacation in New York over winter break. Yes, I know this column will be published far after winter break (I had to write other stories), but this column idea has been sitting in my mind since December. The iconic dishtowel sports a lovely quote:

“Do one thing every day that scares your family.”

This got me thinking about the things I do that may scare my family, and the things my fellow Central students do that scare their families. Then, I wondered if the fact that we are (indeed) all growing into adults scares our families.

As I mentioned, I visited my old home in New York over the break. Big deal, right? Visiting family is usually a pretty routine ordeal, except that I flew on a plane, by myself, this year. Mind you, I have no former flying experience, so it was all completely new to me. I boarded in Chattanooga, found my next gate in Charlotte, and claimed my luggage in Albany. Then, I managed to do it again with a layover in the huge airport in Chicago.

My parents must have been scared— I know my mom was. Not only was she scared; I was even worried for myself. I almost got stuck in Chicago, alone.

The things we do regularly are things that our elementary selves could only dream about.

“Going to my job at Panera makes me feel independent on most days,” stated Senior Zariael Evans when I asked her what makes her feel like she’s her own person.

Is driving, having money, and  having sleepovers on school nights true independent? How about going out when we please? Well, I actually do not go out whenever I want to, but I can, most of the time. The bigger, more impressive feats of our days, such as independent road trips, coming home late, and openly declaring ourselves to our friends and families, are not the only experiences that are maturing us.

“Paying my car note makes me feel like I’m adulting,” said Orlando Gearing.

Paying bills and insurance are definitely adulting responsibilities.

“Having the responsibility of a job means you have to pay your own bills,” shared Jasmine Gutierrez. “A taste of freedom comes with other responsibilities.”

Maturation is gradual, but do you remember your eighth-grade self? We are different people now, and we are nearly adults.

“The thought of graduation really makes me feel like an adult,” said Senior Donavyn Walker.

Soon, we will have the real world to play in. The daring adventures we take now are just a taste of what is to come– even moving out of our parents’ house is coming up. I might need dishtowels (who knows what you need to buy before moving out), so I think I will buy that graphic towel to remind myself of how far I have come.