Thrown Into Adulthood Before I Was Ready

 


I feel like I was thrown into the world of being an adult before I was truly ready. 


By all accounts, I was an adult. I looked the part. I hit the milestones that society says make you an adult. But my readiness—the ability to actually navigate the adult world—just wasn’t there.


It feels like the world expected me to be an adult simply because of my age, but inside, I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know how to pay bills or save money in a way that made sense. I didn’t know how to properly raise other human beings or juggle the constant demands of being a parent and a partner. Fixing a car, maintaining it, knowing what to do when something broke—those were all things I was supposed to just know.


Taking care of a house, handling emergencies, or even understanding how to set myself up for success financially felt overwhelming. It still does. I feel like a teenager left home alone to figure it all out—except now, I have smaller siblings (my kids) depending on me to handle things, and I can’t let them down.


The Weight of Feeling Underprepared


It’s not that I didn’t want to step into these responsibilities. I love my family, and I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. But it often feels like I’m fumbling my way through adulthood, hoping I make the right decisions. I try to fix what’s broken. I try to be a good mom and wife. I try to manage the chaos of life.


But deep down, I still feel like that teenager—unsure, overwhelmed, and longing for guidance I didn’t receive. It’s not that I didn’t learn anything growing up. I did. But the practical skills and emotional readiness that seem to come naturally to others feel out of reach for me.


Balancing Responsibility with Self-Doubt


There’s a unique kind of pressure that comes from being an autistic adult in a world that assumes I know what I’m doing. On the outside, I look like I’ve got it together. I have a family, a marriage, a home. People see me and assume I have everything figured out.


But internally, I’m often struggling. Struggling to keep up with the demands of life. Struggling to match my actions to what society expects of me. Struggling to reconcile the teenager I still feel like inside with the adult I’m supposed to be.


A Reality I’m Still Trying to Navigate


And I don’t feel like I’m even close to figuring it out. If anything, I feel like I’m treading water most of the time, just trying to keep myself and my family afloat. The world doesn’t slow down for us to catch up. It keeps going, and we have to go with it, even when we feel lost and unprepared.


If you’ve ever felt like this—like the world threw you into adulthood before you were ready—know that you’re not alone. Feeling unprepared doesn’t mean we’re failing. It just means we’re doing the best we can in a world that often expects more than it teaches. And maybe that’s all we can do: keep going, even when we don’t have it figured out. Cross our fingers and hope for the best. 😉 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When the Bear Isn’t the Only Threat

Image
  People love to talk about how men are the problem. How they’re the predators, the aggressors, the ones to fear. And sometimes, yes—they are. But I’ve learned something else in the past two years that no one really talks about. Women can be just as cruel. Not in the same overtly violent, physically intimidating ways—but in words. In manipulation. In shame. In whispers, screenshots, comment threads, and anonymous DMs that slice deeper than any blade could. Since being on the show, I’ve been sent messages so vile they could rot your soul. People—mostly women—have told me in graphic detail how I should unalive myself, and why. Why? Because I’m  disgusting. Because I’m fat. Because I have the audacity to exist in a body that they think shouldn’t be seen, let alone celebrated. There are entire communities— groups of people who gather and bond over the belief that fat people don’t deserve to live. And if we dare to exist anyway? They demand that we do so while hating ourselves. The...
Read more

Why Your Body Has Felt Like It’s Fighting You (And Why It’s Not Your Fault)

Image
  Healing starts when we stop punishing our bodies and start listening to them. This isn’t about shrinking ourselves—it’s about showing up for ourselves with love, honesty, and intention. For most of us, we’ve spent decades being told it’s all about “calories in, calories out.” Do this fad diet or that one.  We’ve been told that if we’re overweight, exhausted, anxious, or struggling—it must be because we’re lazy. Undisciplined. Not trying hard enough. But that’s not the truth. What’s really going on is so much more complex—and deeply human. Our bodies are made up of  interconnected systems , and when even one part falls out of balance, the whole system can start to feel like it’s working against us. Let me show you how everything is tied together. 🧬  The Web That Connects It All 1. Hormones Are the Boss — Especially for Women Hormonal shifts happen throughout a woman’s life, and they can impact everything—especially when it comes to: • PCOS • Perimenopause ...
Read more

The Truth About the 1950s Housewife

Image
  I saw a post today where a homesteading woman said, “A woman’s place is in the home.” This is what came to mind: What Do You Picture When You Think of Women in the 1950s? Do you picture the cinched waists, perfect curls, and shiny kitchen floors? Do you see the sweet housewife smiling with a roast in the oven, kids clean and quiet, and dinner on the table at six? Do you imagine peace, simplicity, and structure—when things  made sense  and everyone knew their role? It’s okay if you do. A lot of us do. Because let’s be honest—many of us are so tired from the chaos of modern life, we find ourselves romanticizing that era. We say things like: “I wish I could just stay home, raise my babies, tend my garden, and keep a clean house.” But the truth is, for most women today, that dream is financially impossible. One income isn’t enough. The cost of living is through the roof. So we scroll past these vintage-inspired posts online, aching for a life that’s out of reach. But here’s...
Read more