I can still be a responsible adult even if I play games till 3am every night

When I was young, I always looked forward to growing up.

Like most people, I grew up with many rules in the household, and there were a lot of things that I couldn’t do without my parents giving the go-ahead.

Want to go out with my friends? Better ask for permission first.

Want to stay up late? Cannot, because my bedtime was strictly enforced.

Want to eat dessert before dinner? Don’t even think about it.

Adults seemed to know everything (from a kid’s POV)

From the perspective of a kid, adults just seemed to have the answer to everything.

Whenever I had any problems with schoolwork, I used to just ask my mum, and she would somehow know the answer.

If I fell sick, I would tell my mum, and be confident that she knew exactly what I needed to do to feel better.

And if I had a fight with my friends, my mum would always step in, and give me the advice I needed to resolve matters.

To a young, impressionable kid, adults really did seem somewhat superhuman.

My mum is an ideal adult

Perhaps one reason why I couldn’t wait to grow up was because my mum was the textbook example of an ideal adult.

She lives an extremely organised life, waking up at 7am daily, and being in bed by 10pm.

She gets up two hours before work starts every morning, eats a leisurely breakfast, and even has time to do some basic chores before leaving the house (pre Covid-19, of course).

She then reaches the office 15 minutes early, without even having to rush.

When she gets home from work, she continues to keep the house in tip-top condition, while still having the time to attend to whatever problems I may face.

In short, my mum really seemed to have aced Adulting 101.

I’m more of a ‘kidult’, rather than an adult

I, however, do things quite differently.

Being an avid gamer, I spend most nights playing games till 3am, and wake up only five minutes before my morning Zoom meetings, although I feel easily energised by taking an afternoon nap or two.

I also prefer a lazy weekend playing Animal Crossing at home, rather than heading out to the bar for a night out (yes, even before the pandemic struck!).

I also eschew traditional meal timings, preferring to eat whenever I am hungry.

After all, what’s the point of being an adult if I can’t choose when I want to eat?

Simply put, I am pretty darn far from being an ‘ideal’ adult.

Instead, I’m more like a ‘kidult’: an adult who embraces his inner child.

There’s nothing wrong with kidulting if it helps you unwind

I know some people may think that I’m behaving like a kid.

But honestly, what’s wrong with that?

After all, being a kid rocks. You get to enjoy life, without the responsibilities.

And sure, I do have adult responsibilities now, such as paying my phone bills, or helping around the house.

But if I can contribute my fair share, and fulfil these responsibilities, I don’t see what’s wrong with indulging a little.

After all, being an adult can get pretty stressful. If binge watching Marvel movies helps me to unwind after a long day of work, why not?

Millennials entering the workforce today will also likely face a different work environment compared to the previous generation.

New advancements in technology have severely eroded the idea of a proper work-life balance.

With everyone having a smartphone, and having easy access to the Internet, most people nowadays have to constantly answer emails and be asked to follow up on their work even after office hours.

Unlike my mum, who can have a structured lifestyle because she only has to work 9-5, I am largely forced to have my free time whenever I am allowed to.

So if taking a nap during the lull in my work day sounds childish to you, well, I would much rather be kidulting, rather than adulting.

Life is too short to take everything too seriously

Although I’m generally a laid-back person, I’ve always managed to coast through key milestones in my life without having to be too serious.

I would often spend quite a lot of my time playing games, occasionally skipping a class or two for a trip to the nearest LAN shop with my friends.

However, I’ve always gotten decent grades, without having to spend all my time studying, due to adopting smart exam techniques.

I’m also responsible when it matters, as I would buck up and ensure that I didn’t do too badly when it counts, like during national examinations.

And while some may consider a perfect GPA in university their main goal, my goal was to simply have fun.

After all, these were my last four years of school before entering the workforce.

Why not enjoy it while I can, by making friends and memories that will last a lifetime?

In the end, grades are simply a number, and although some of my peers may have landed jobs that are deemed more prestigious, through their rigorous academic rigour, I really don’t regret it.

Life, after all, is too short for you to take everything too seriously.

And given how work appears to be my next milestone (for perhaps the next 40 years or so), I have no intention of changing my kidulting ways.

I’m excited to move out on my own

My mum has admitted on several occasions that she wished she had more time to have fun in her youth.

You know, kind of like what I’m doing now.

While this is my first full-time job out of school, at the same age, my mum had already graduated from university for five whole years, and have been in the workforce ever since.

I’m 26-years-old this year – when my mum was the same age, she had already moved out of the house for a few years, which is a big part of adulting.

To be honest, I’m pretty excited about moving out myself, albeit so that I can spend more time indulging in my kidulting habits without anyone judging me.

And if you want to learn more about kidulting, why not check out GOMO’s Facebook and Instagram pages, which have plenty of cool content on the joys of kidulting. (In a way, GOMO moving out of Singtel almost feels like it is going through the kidulting process as well, ha ha.)

Instead of trying so hard to be an ideal adult, I think I’ll just take things step-by-step, and start with the small things that an adult has to deal with.

Like being financially prudent by choosing GOMO, which is the most value-for-money phone plan for my needs, with 50gb of data for only S$30.

Now, excuse me while I go watch Netflix while eating lunch. I need to quickly unwind before my meeting so I can be more productive.

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As part of GOMO’s launch, they are offering a special 40GB for $20 (valid for six months) housewarming promotion with the promo code <WELCOMEHOME> .

Additionally, there is a housewarming contest taking place on GOMO’s Instagram and Facebook pages. Stand to win Kidulting Kits worth S$300. The kits include prizes such as S$100 ASOS vouchers, a polaroid camera, and more.

Top image via Unsplash.

This sponsored article made the writer realise that there are many different ways to adult.