It feels like slowly being hammered into the ground. When the pain stops, you know you are dead.

Some times are really great and you get to do such exciting things all by yourself.....and other times are really tough because there are big challenges no one can solve for you. If you have people you love and work hard, be kind, and contribute you'll probably have a lot more really great times than really tough times.

He might be looking at this as binary. Adult = mom or dad, kid = me. Depending on what you think he is getting at, you might want to say that it happens slowly so you have t ime to adjust. That you feel like the same person inside, and there are parts you don't know about yet (don't say this, maybe but there are great things and not so great things about empty nest time!). There are lots of different stages of life, and they all have their different characteristics and one of the things we can do is to look for the good parts of the part we are in now. Again, all based on what he's getting at and if this will stir up existential angst about the passing of time, or reassure him that the best part is not over when he's not a kid anymore!

“Enjoy childhood.”

Anonymous wrote:I tell the truth. I say it’s awesome because you can have candy whenever you want, but the truth is when you’re an adult you don’t really want to have candy as much as you did when you were a kid. I said there are some great things about being an adult like having a lot of freedom, being in charge of your own life, and getting to make decisions for yourself. I say there are things that are hard, like being responsible to pay for bills and having to go to work and sometimes you have to do things you really don’t want to do.Then I saw that there are great things about being a kid and to enjoy them while they can.

This is pretty much how I'd describe it in an age appropriate way to my 5 year old.

It's amazing. I can vividly remember wanting to be an adult when I was a kid--I hated having so much of my life controlled by other people, even though my parents were perfectly good and not particularly restrictive--and I do love that part of being an adult.

It is freeing. Sometimes that is scary, but it's a good kind of scary if you are prepared for it.

It sucks. Can't really say that to a kid though.

OP, you and your kid might enjoy this podcast:
https://www.vpr.org/post/what-it-be-adult#stream/0

After we listened to this together, I told my DD that overall I liked being an adult. That there were many wonderful things about being a kid, and she shouldn't rush to grow up -- but that I liked making my own choices and deciding who I would spend time with.

I tell the truth. I say it’s awesome because you can have candy whenever you want, but the truth is when you’re an adult you don’t really want to have candy as much as you did when you were a kid. I said there are some great things about being an adult like having a lot of freedom, being in charge of your own life, and getting to make decisions for yourself. I say there are things that are hard, like being responsible to pay for bills and having to go to work and sometimes you have to do things you really don’t want to do.Then I saw that there are great things about being a kid and to enjoy them while they can.

It's tiring but you can do whatever you want so....

Well, I wouldn’t tell him this, but it feels like I am stuck in quick dry cement and many people who say they love me are repeatedly punching me in the face, neck, and chest. Oh, and I have my hands free so I can type on a laptop non stop while the punching happens so that I can work to make money for my family.

I don’t know exactly what being an adult feels like, but I do know that each year I get older, I feel that I carry more weight in terms of memories, lessons learned, responsibility, and worry. And as I age, there are less people that I can rely on to help me until one day, it’ll just be me, alone in the world. Sure, you have the freedom to do anything you want, but most people are then constrained by location, family, or responsibilities. Probably not what you should tell your kid! Maybe others can articulate this feeling in a kid friendly way.

You can eat all the cookies you want and stay up as late as you want. But you don’t because it doesn’t feel good after all. 😁

When I was in my mid twenties, I asked my 50-something dad when he felt like an adult. His answer was, "When I get there, I'll tell you".

This is what I was asked today and I did not really have a good answer. It made me think and I ma curious about what would you say