This is when I feel like I'm stuck in my 20s

Current Status: Chronologically 30-something, Mentally 22 (and slightly confused about it)

Is it just me, or did everyone else get a memo about "Becoming a Grown-Up" that I somehow missed?

I look in the mirror and I see a Mother of Three. A Working Woman. A Wife. I have a calendar! I buy detergent in bulk! But inside? Inside, I am still definitely in my twenties, wandering around a department store, staring longingly at a pair of impossibly high heels and thinking, “Yes, I definitely need these for my glamorous life,” before remembering that my "glamorous life" currently involves scraping dried pasta off the ceiling.

It’s not that I don't love my kids—I adore them! They are my world! But sometimes... I just want to be Me. Without the "Mom" prefix.

I’ve been spiraling. Did I not "Live My Best Life" enough back then? Was I supposed to be more... wild?

I blame Spotify. Specifically, I blame Michael Learns to Rock. I just listened to “Blue Night” and honestly, I’ve been compromised. The lyrics! The romance! Have you seen the video? They are literally serenading girls outside their apartments! Actual serenading! Why did this not happen to me? Did I miss the Serenade Window? Was there a sign-up sheet?!

I started thinking about my own "wild" youth. And by wild, I mean... The Library. Yes, you heard me. My friends and I were regulars. We went almost every day—not just for the intellectual stimulation, obviously, but for the Air Conditioning. It was bliss. We felt so rebellious, gliding through the streets on a single motorcycle. Three of us. On one bike. It’s a miracle we weren't arrested! We thought we were the Easy Rider crew, but with more library cards.

And the highlight? The Kebab. From that specific bakery. We would sit there, windswept from our three-person motorcycle journey, eating kebabs like they were Michelin-starred delicacies.

It was so sweet. It was so incredibly stupid. And now I’m sitting here, laughing at myself while my three kids probably plot to turn the sofa into a fortress.

Tell me I’m not the only one? Does anyone else feel like a teenager trapped in a "Responsible Adult" costume?

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The "Why I am Not an Adult" Checklist:

• Song that triggered the crisis: Blue Night by MLTR (10/10 for romance, 0/10 for my emotional stability).

• Most Dangerous Youthful Act: Fitting three people on a moped to go read the news in the AC.

• Current Craving: That specific bakery kebab. (And maybe a serenade. Is that too much to ask?)