Remember when you couldn’t wait to grow up? 

You thought being an adult meant having your own money, doing whatever you wanted, and finally making your own decisions. 

Then you grow up and realize that being an adult comes with a few surprises too. There are bills to pay, responsibilities to handle, and suddenly, you find yourself doing things you never thought you would.

Growing up is funny because you don’t really notice it happening. You just wake up one day and realize that you’re becoming the person who gets annoyed when someone leaves the lights on, and suddenly understands why your parents were always saying, “Sayang ‘yung kuryente!” 

And just like that, you realize you’re slowly becoming an adult. 

Here are some signs that you’re officially entering adulthood:

1. You smell like Vicks, Katinko, White Flower, or Efficascent Oil 

“Amoy matanda ka na.” 

One obvious sign that you’re becoming an adult is when you start hearing this from others.

Your perfume collection now consists of Vicks, Katinko, White Flower, or Efficascent Oil instead of actual perfumes with vanilla, fruity or floral scents.

2. You're starting to like the food you used to hate

You used to complain whenever there were vegetables or soup meals on the table before. 

Now, you start looking for them. 

After a long day at work, a hot bowl of sinigang, tinola, or monggo feels more comforting than fast food. 

Congratulations. You have officially reached the age where sabaw relieves your stress. 

3. Birthdays are not exciting anymore 

As a kid, you counted down the days until your birthday. 

Now, when someone asks, “Ilan taon ka na?”, you suddenly become a private citizen. Or you avoid tricky questions like “Kailan ka grumadweyt?” as this can compute your age.

Your birthday wishlist has also changed. 

Before: gadgets, shoes, toys.

Now: money, sleep, and no work.

4. Coffee becomes part of your system 

Coffee used to be something you enjoyed. 

Now, it feels necessary to function. 

“Hindi pa ako nakakapagkape.” 

Translation: Please wait until my system has rebooted. 

5. You conserve things

You turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. You finish your food. You switch off the lights when no one is using them. 

Not because your parents are reminding you anymore. 

But because you’re paying the bills now and everything is expensive. 

6. Less social life 

“Check ko muna schedule ko.” 

This has become the famous line whenever you’re making plans to meet up with friends or family. 

You make plans, but they keep getting moved because of work, errands, family responsibilities, and everyone’s different schedules. 

You agree on a date, then someone suddenly has something to do. So you move it to another day, and then someone else becomes unavailable. 

Before you know it, you’ve been trying to plan that simple get-together for months. 

7. You start missing school 

Then you see high school students walking home, laughing with their friends, and wearing their uniforms. 

And suddenly, you will unconsciously say: 

“Nakakamiss maging estudyante.” 

Funny, because you once wanted to graduate as quickly as possible so you could work, earn money, and become independent. 

Now you’re working, stressing out, and suddenly think: 

“Pwede bang bumalik na lang sa problema ko dati na assignment lang?” 

Ah, adulthood. The thing you couldn’t wait for and now secretly want a refund for. 

Aside from these, there are still many signs of adulting. So, how about you? What are your signs of adulting?