Hey everyone, It’s great to be back today for ‘Word Of The Week’. I was looking for a word or words that described this week the best. And then ‘Grown Up’ popped into my head.
This week has been all about my younger son accomplishing a bunch of “mundane but necessary tasks” which is what a grown-up has to do. Along with that, this week has also been about us as his parents getting used to the fact that he is now actually a grown-up! Boom…..my head just exploded!
Turning Eighteen
Sam turned eighteen last year while he was still at school. So even though he was officially an adult. Everything still felt the same. He was getting up every morning just like he had for the past thirteen years. Putting on his uniform and going off to school. Now his school life is all finished.
And because there is no more school. This week things were a whole lot different. We didn’t have to worry about making sure that he still fitted into his school uniform and school shoes. He usually had a major growth spurt over the summer holidays.
And I remember when he was about fourteen. I made the mistake of assuming that he was ok to wear last year’s school shoes. Well on the first day of school, his feet had grown so much that he ended up having to wear his dad’s black shoes to school!
A Grown Up
No there was none of that to worry about. Instead, he spent most of the week working out how to apply for a tax file number. Then he had to navigate his way around various government sites trying to verify his identity. Just so that he could access his documents. It turns out that everything is so much easier if you have a current passport. He doesn’t so in the end, he had to show up in person at Services Australia, wait in line and sort out his application with a real human being.
I wasn’t much help because everything has changed so much since I had to do all that way back in the olden days! We just filled out endless forms using a quill… I mean a pen. Then we posted all the forms and good old trusty snail mail did the rest. I’m pretty sure that this is what my oldest son did too. My kids are eleven years apart in age. So to tell you the truth I can’t even remember what my oldest did!
More Mundane But Necessary Tasks
Then there were job interviews, one workplace trial, university enrolment, a driving test, and a couple of other mundane but necessary tasks. I had to laugh when Sam said to me “why don’t they teach us how to do all this stuff at school”. I agree! Why don’t they?
It’s been interesting, to say the least. Watching my boys grow up. One minute they had a bunch of teeth missing then the next minute they were super tall with facial hair. It just happened so fast and yet so slowly at the same time.
Linking up with
🥺 I feel your pain! How did 18 years go by so fast?
It’s a shock isn’t it! My eldest were both teens by the time my youngest three came along and now I can’t believe how much the ‘littlies’ have grown up. I still officially have one child though. My eldest is 35 next week eek! (I’m pretty sure I still have the hangover from my 35th birthday party!)
One of mine hit 18 a couple of months ago too and we’ve had our fair share of applying for various things. Never ending. She’s still at school. My youngest is out of school uniform after this June and I am looking forward to no last minute uniform rush as he grows. Although I suspect he’ll be wanting to go shopping for more clothes for the next school year. My children say the same. They don’t teach them the mundane admin tasks at school. #wotw
I don’t like the fact that my girls are growing up so quickly but I am looking forward to not having to worry about buying anymore school uniform when my youngest leaves later this year.
hahaha! I thought I was clever one year buying my girls school shoes the day they finished school for the summer until it was the morning of them going back after the summer and their shoes didn’t fit. Oops.
Good luck to your son on the next part of his life. They really should teach kids about all the adult things they have to know at school for when they turn 18. x
I hear you! They grow up far too fast. It seems only yesterday that my two were toddlers. I get quite emotional when I look through old pics, I wish time didn’t go so fast. xx
My daughter turns 18 in April. I’m not excited!
I totally understand!
Having to get your head around your child being an adult is something that I can’t quite imagine yet but I know it will all feel like it went by very quickly when we get to that stage! The end of school days is a big milestone. Trying to sort out the paperwork for tax file numbers and things is not much fun though! Glad it all got sorted for him. Hope all the other things went well. I agree with Sam that it would be good to be taught some of it at school! #WotW
It’s funny when you see 18 from a parent’s perspective. Yes, I guess you do so much more at 18. 18 for my son will be different as he is SEN. My little lady is 8 going on 18 so I’m sure she will rush right in!