{"id":521,"date":"2018-07-21T20:53:43","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T00:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/?p=521"},"modified":"2018-07-21T20:53:43","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T00:53:43","slug":"youre-grown-live-like-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/21\/youre-grown-live-like-it\/","title":{"rendered":"You&#8217;re grown, live like it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today, I went to check my mail for the first time in quite a few days and remembered why I don\u2019t do it every day, seeing nothing but bills and junk mail is downright depressing.\u00a0 Can a sista get a love letter or a card telling her how fabulous she is every now and again mixed in all that depression? As I\u2019m sifting thru junk flyers I start wondering where is the \u2018unsubscribe\u2019 button on this adulting shit because working to pay bills is not what I signed up for, I was duped! <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/c3\/9e\/62\/c39e62a250026e870829d71bb19c3176.gif?resize=356%2C199&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for adulting gif\" width=\"356\" height=\"199\" \/>I\u2019m sure we\u2019ve all felt this way at some point in our adult lives but there, honestly, is no way to stop it. While adulting can seem daunting at times, there are some awesome points to it if you progress and grow in life enough to appreciate it. There are many folx who are merely biologically grown and messing up the meaning hand over fist and they\u2019re embarrassing. Please understand that just because you are in your 40s\/50s, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re grown if you\u2019re still doing childish, high school shit.<\/p>\n<p>I came across an article recently titled: <strong>40 Things You Can No Longer Get Away With After 40<\/strong>\u00a0which triggered my thought process. I\u2019m happy to say I ceased doing just about all of them before I was 40 and can merely shake my head at those who are 40+ continuing to do them as though it\u2019s okay. One of the things they mentioned was <strong><em>getting blacked out drunk<\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em> Will there be times in your 40s+ when you want to have a good time? Sure there are but screaming and taking \u201cShots, Shots, Shots\u201d at every opportunity when you can\u2019t even handle one mixed drink is not a good look. <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.tenor.co\/images\/ba5ae2aa02c14d749200ad44389f77b7\/tenor.gif?w=840&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Related image\" \/>By the time you\u2019re of a certain age, you should know how to handle your liquor and if you don\u2019t, slow down and learn because you\u2019re just embarrassing and becoming an annoyance to those who have to take care of and make excuses for you and your behavior. I am proud to say that my daddy taught me how to drink properly at an early, almost legal, age and over the course of my life, I\u2019ve learned what I can and cannot drink due to the effects of certain spirited beverages on my personality and actions. When we were in our 20s, getting shit faced was expected and tolerated but at 40+ a lot of us need to do better and act our age. Think about this, as a child, did you ever see your parent(s) get blacked out drunk and act a fool? Now, don\u2019t get me wrong, I know some of you may have had a horrible drunk parent who caused damage to you and your family, I\u2019m not referring to you, I\u2019m referring to the average person who had parents who went to work every day and took care of standard business. Did my father drink? That\u2019s like asking is the sky blue or grass green. Of course he drank <strong>but<\/strong> I never saw him drink to the point he was throwing up in unspeakable places at the most inopportune moments. My daddy thoroughly enjoyed his Hennessy\u00ae and Remy\u00ae but knew his limits which taught me how to learn my limits as to not be an embarrassment to him or my mother in their absence.<\/p>\n<p>A couple of other things shared on this list were: <strong><em>oversharing on social media, taking and sharing an abundance of selfies, having a platonic roommate, staying in toxic relationships and pregnancy scares<\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em> Okay, I\u2019m going to have to agree with all of those as well. First of all, in this day and age with the plethora of birth control out there, how is anyone just popping up pregnant at 42 years old? Oh, that\u2019s right, we\u2019re also in the era of Viagra\u00ae and sugar daddies so, I guess that one explained itself, huh? Wait, no it didn\u2019t, how are you in your 40s with<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.imgur.com\/W79ZMmK.gif?resize=360%2C203\" alt=\"Image result for old man and young woman gif\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" \/> a sugar daddy\/momma? What are they, like, 80? Boo, do better and get yourself someone who loves you for you and the 2 of you build and grow together, leave those old, saggy, grey pubes alone because they are not fulfilling anything in your life. <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/community.ew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/ew-gif.gif?resize=164%2C82\" alt=\"Image result for ew gif\" width=\"164\" height=\"82\" \/>Onto the social media aspect of being grown; it used to be when you scrolled thru your page and saw a heated post spilling all the dirty details of another person, you knew right then and there this person was young and didn\u2019t know any better. Well, dammit, now we have biologically grown people airing all of their dirty laundry for the entire world to see, read, and share. My poor, disillusioned loves, when you do that? No one is reading it and trying to help you with your situation, they are only reading a reality shit show instead of flipping thru channels to find one on tv. <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/EaUuzIdnUGXAs_LokdLgtdrJZCY%3D\/0x0%3A420x314\/1400x1050\/filters%3Afocal%28136x115%3A202x181%29%3Aformat%28gif%29\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/55279403\/tenor.0.gif?resize=377%2C283&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for reading social media drama gif\" width=\"377\" height=\"283\" \/>The only reason you get likes is so they can continue to follow the messiness you are creating while they munch on their popcorn and tell other people to check it out. When you become an adult, the trials and tribulations of your private life are supposed to remain just that: PRIVATE and shared only verbally with those you can confide in and trust to keep it to themselves. Now, there will be those Loose Lip Lucys who can\u2019t hold water and tell your business to others and you should learn from that point not to share with them either.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m guessing that due to this being a nationally published article written by someone who wasn\u2019t of color; there was no mention of listening to and getting turnt up to mumble rap music, being messy and doing stalker shit after 40. There are things I\u2019ve dealt with in my 40s that I didn\u2019t even deal with in high school due to the immaturity of other females. I know we all like to sip and spill tea every now and then but when you\u2019re divulging deep secrets of someone else just to be the center of attention, please know you\u2019re being extremely messy. I\u2019ve watched and love the movie Mean Girls\u00ae and used to think it was only stuff that happened in a movie about high school teenagers but I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media2.giphy.com\/media\/xT9KVexpHhwlR1hti8\/giphy.gif?resize=324%2C182&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for mean girls gif\" width=\"324\" height=\"182\" \/>It\u2019s amazing to me how many supposed grown people are trashing and tarnishing the reputation of other people for attention. It\u2019s one thing to speak about someone but it\u2019s another issue when you\u2019re making up lies about them to make the story more interesting and turn others against this person. If you can\u2019t hold a conversation with others about your own merits and drama, the best advice I have for you is to keep your mouth shut because it will surely come back to you in an unfavorable manner. When you speak ill and incorrectly about another person, you tend to fail to understand there are people who know that person\u2019s character and will only view you as a jealous hater. Again, aren\u2019t we too grown for this type of juvenile behavior?<\/p>\n<p>To me, there is never a good age to do stalkerish shit to an ex after a break-up, if it didn\u2019t work it just didn\u2019t work out. Why is there a need to bust windows or slash tires? Or taunt their current Boo with knowledge that you had them at one time? What does any of this accomplish? Does it heal your broken heart?<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.arn.com.au\/media\/7282206\/overly-attached-girlfriend-gif-1.gif?resize=326%2C241\" alt=\"Image result for stalker ex girlfriend gif\" width=\"326\" height=\"241\" \/> Do you really think that after you do that and they have to go thru the necessary expense of repairing the damage they\u2019re going to say, \u201c<em>Hey Babe, I saw the errors of my ways and want to work things out with you. How about we get married<\/em>\u201d? Hell nah! You\u2019ll be lucky if they don\u2019t press charges on you and, at your age? You\u2019re going to do some time behind bars and become someone\u2019s bitch. <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media1.popsugar-assets.com\/files\/thumbor\/zYn9Y4ty6LamFyr1v3Iky6FQw-o\/fit-in\/1024x1024\/filters%3Aformat_auto-%21%21-%3Astrip_icc-%21%21-\/2014\/07\/10\/995\/n\/1922283\/18e06957b21ca540_tumblr_mqk9bqyaSd1qb9pa3o1_500\/i\/Because-Piper-has-real-issues.gif?resize=352%2C183&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Related image\" width=\"352\" height=\"183\" \/>When you\u2019ve matured, you take the break-up as a lesson learned and move on, there\u2019s no need to try to get that person fired since it\u2019s not against the law to not want to be with you. Yes, Sweetie, you are fabulous and anyone would be lucky to have you but this one didn\u2019t appreciate you and you\u2019re better off, leave them alone before you have a record you can\u2019t get expunged for doing dumb shit, \u2018kay?<\/p>\n<p>By the time you\u2019re in your 40s+, you should understand that how you dress speaks volumes about how others perceive you. Now, while I\u2019ve never, personally, been one to put it all on display when I go out, there is a time in our lives when we do. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I had my addiction to spandex when I was younger but, if it\u2019s possible, I did it tastefully. I didn\u2019t do it tastefully enough for my father but unless I was cloaked in a burlap sack, I was showing too much. There are females I know of who feel they have to nearly expose a nipple when going out just to gain the attention of men and they couldn\u2019t be more wrong. <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.ebaumsworld.com\/mediaFiles\/picture\/694680\/82091367.gif?resize=292%2C300\" alt=\"Related image\" width=\"292\" height=\"300\" \/>Well, they get attention but it\u2019s only because the guys view them as an easy lay and make a bee line in an attempt to get their lil dang-a-langs wet and, after a few drinks, it becomes an easy task. This leads to the next point, a 40+ THOT is not a good look. When you enter a room, you should garner looks of awe and amazement not dudes talking and comparing notes on how easy it was to have sex with and never call you again. By 40, you shouldn\u2019t be jumping from bed to bed, sleeping with this stranger, this eff buddy or some random you swiped right on. When you are of a certain age, the person you are intimate with should be someone you\u2019re building towards something with. Yes, I know, some of you will roll your eyes at this part but you already know you\u2019re too old to be a constant one night stand, you have way too much to offer and your goods should be earned and appreciated outside of beer goggle eyes. I mean, we all know that sex gets better after 40 but how will you ever know how intense it can truly be if you\u2019re only getting it once from all these different people? At 40+ you\u2019re too old to be a THOT and just look desperate.<\/p>\n<p>In a nutshell, it\u2019s time to grow up people, we are too old to compete with 20 something year olds. By this age, we should be educating them on how to carry themselves and not the other way around. Instead of hanging out in bars getting shit faced, how about hitting up a nice lounge and sipping on a nice glass of wine while listening to real music?<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/brightestyoungthings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/giphy-35.gif?quality=100\" alt=\"Related image\" width=\"367\" height=\"183\" \/> While it may feel like it, paying a mortgage and a car note don\u2019t make a person grown but furnishing your home and spending time entertaining in it do. So, ladies, put on that fitted dress that accentuates your curves and those hot ass shoes and gentlemen, put on that suit and cologne that make women swoon as you enter the room and get your grown folk on!<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/72\/3b\/9a\/723b9a611594a18a367567c16415e10b.gif?resize=286%2C286&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Related image\" width=\"286\" height=\"286\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, I went to check my mail for the first time in quite a few days and remembered why I don\u2019t do it every day, seeing nothing but bills and junk mail is downright depressing.\u00a0 Can a sista get a love letter or a card telling her how fabulous she is every now and again &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/21\/youre-grown-live-like-it\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;You&#8217;re grown, live like it&#8221;<\/span><\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7va7x-8p","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grownwomanflow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Grow-up-e1532220685103.jpg?fit=220%2C284&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":526,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521\/revisions\/526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grownwomanflow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}