Musings of an Adult

I'm currently at a coffee shop chugging caffeine, reading, pretending to work, and mostly daydreaming as I do most weekends. Lately, I've been contemplating the idea of adulthood and what the definition actually means. Are we adults as soon as we leave the nest? As soon as mom and dad say you're on your own? After we have kids? After our first big purchase? One thing is for certain, the tik tokers think I'm ancient now but am I an adult?

After weighing my perception of kids and adults, I've realized that adulthood is more of a spectrum, where we're born into this world as self-absorbed poop monsters and slowly transition into selfless, dessert-giving grandparents. A spectrum that I've seen many peers gradually climb. Some of us transitioned quickly, while some of us may never make it very far on the scale of adulthood.

From my brother biting my mom's face, to my older sister having meltdowns in her closet, to my younger sister acting like a dog in public, to me being perfect; my siblings set the bar pretty low to evolve from. Over time we learned to develop more selfless traits like helping around the house, creating thoughtful gifts, asking our first question about our parents, and a myriad of other firsts. Decades later, I hope our resume of selfless traits have continued to grow.

So Maybe the conclusion is that adulthood happens when we learn to be more selfless than selfish? Maybe that means some of us are on the cusp of adulthood?

Spectrum:
​(Poopy pants----Kid 2----------Kid 1---------Kid 3--Adulthood happens around here?------------------Ma/Pa-----Cookies)

Is it possible to be more selfless than selfish? Is being selfless even a trait worth pursuing?