The best job I had before I graduated college

In the summer before my senior year of college, I found myself constantly wondering how the past four years had gone by so fast. I didn’t feel like an adult, and the idea of having to be a for real grown-up was terrifying.

I had been hoping that somewhere along the way, I would wake up and just be OK with the fact that I was no longer a kid. No such luck. I feared responsibility, being completely independent, and growing old. I was sure that all the fun times were ending.

I decided to become a nanny during my last year at school. I’ve always loved kids and enjoyed babysitting, but I had never thought I wanted kids of my own own. They’re awesome to hang out with, but in my mind they just slowed you down and made things complicated, and why would I want that? Plus, at 22, I’m not in a rush.

But the picture I had in my head of adulthood totally changed when I started being a nanny for an adorable little girl. Here’s how.

Being in your 20s doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy kid stuff

I may not be a child any more but I can definitely still have moments when I act like one. When I’m with her, I feel just like a kid again. You find yourself laughing at stuff that’s not even that funny, and you realize that working on coloring books is actually incredibly stress relieving. No matter how old I get, there will always be a time or a place when I can let my guard down and just be silly.

You have so much to look forward to

There are chances to feel alive and amazing beyond college. Whenever I pick her up from preschool, I was excited to hang out with her.  I had never imagined having kids or being a parent, but she showed me just how much I want to do that, someday. Looking after her helped me see all of the things to look forward to in the years ahead.

You can have fun outside of partying

Yes, it was definitely silly for me to believe that there wasn’t fun in the world outside of college parties. But I had that fear, and hanging out with this little girl reminded me that you can have fun in different ways. Fun is about the quality of the company you keep. She made me feel a little less scared about growing older because becoming an adult doesn’t mean leaving joy behind. it just means figuring out newer, different sources for happiness.

Marisa Strauss is a senior at Boston University pursuing a career in content creation and journalism. When she’s not re watching every episode of Friends ever created, you can find her blogging here.

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