For me it’s moving your bed away from the side walls so it’s in the middle of the room. I had my bed to the side my whole childhood
You start saving boxes. You think, this looks like a good box.
The opposite for me. I think all this useless crap needs to go.
I keep mine thinking i might need it in case i need to send the thing back for warranty service. Still have boxes for stuff years out of their warranty periods.
I was in my late 20s and two of my uncle was having a heated argument over politics. Everyone else was quiet, afraid to say anything. I spoke out in a normal tone, not raising my voice, “that’s enough”. They stopped immediately. It was fairly surreal.
Having the opportunity to buy cake whenever you want, having enough money to buy cake whenever you want, and choosing to not buy cake whenever you want.
choosing to not buy cake whenever you want
That’s past adult and goes into senior territory.
No, wait, I’m not that old yet right?? Right???
You find yourself in a hardware or furniture store and everything looks cool.
You find yourself compulsively drawn to woodworking.
I have been working my wood ever since I became a man
I just finished my third and fourth cutting board this week.
Being jealous of other people’s wooden floors
I spent years installing hardwood floors. Now when I see them, all I can see are the flaws. It’s maddening.
I am so tempted to post a picture…
Finding joy in having a clean kitchen
When I truly internalized that I don’t have to prove my worth to anyone, even if I don’t always know what I’m doing.
Looking back, that sense of self-worth and confidence is what I probably saw in all of the adults around me that made them seem so incredible as a child.
So when I felt that, I thought “huh, so this is what being an adult feels like.”
I know, we are awesome, right?! And I can wear a Pom hat, joggers and crocs, and I don’t give two shits what anyone might think.
I got towels, cast iron pans, and a new knife for Christmas and couldn’t have been happier.
I’m still a bed by the wall person though. when me and my partner get a house that will probably change, but for now I like having a corner to sit up against.
I got a cheap sharpener that works absolutely fantastically! I love it so much.
We spent our Saturday night bidding on a coral auction.
Your body starts betraying you.
More specific to becoming a middle aged man, I started finding any sport enjoyable regardless of what it was. Additionally I started listening to history podcasts. Not sure these are gendered activities but there is definitely a stereotype that men start getting more involved in sport and history.
Too many adults are absolutely clueless https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/04/10/too-many-adults-are-absolutely-clueless From The Economist
“Its a great day to hang out clothes”
You pass by a business with an “Established X” sign; where X is any year past your high-school graduation year.
I still have mine against the side because of space issues. I like my open space, especially since I have lived in a couple of rooms where having the bed against the wall gave me extra floor space to move around.
But to answer the question, various things have definitely made me feel it. Though I’m definitely gonna say the stereotypical “All Kids Are Annoying” as my answer. Definitely how I’ve felt for years, despite not even being that old.
I was recently on a public bus that ended up stopping at a stop by the local museum and because of a youth ride free program, what looked like a whole class of elementary school kids got on the bus. They were loud and annoying and wouldn’t shut up. Thankfully I had my headphones so I could listen to music to try and ignore them to the best of my abilities. 0/10, would not recommend.
Similar things happen when I get in around the time highschool gets out, but at least the teens have the ability to shut up and use their inside voices on a public bus. So they at least get a pass for not being super loud and obnoxious.
