On the walk to school this morning, A said to me, with a serious look on his angelic face, “Daddy, I want to start acting more like an adult. What do adults do, anyway?”

What a great question, I thought. I didn’t even know where to begin with that one. After pausing for a few moments, I began to recite a list. It included:
•   Being polite and using our manners
•   Going to work and being productive members of society
•   Raising our children
•   Staying up late
•   Making breakfast, lunch, and dinner
•   Going grocery shopping
•   Doing housework, which includes making the bed, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming the floors, cutting the grass, doing the dishes, folding laundry, taking out the garbage, and shoveling snow
•   Reading books and newspapers
•   Drinking coffee

I left out a bunch of the good stuff, like:
•   Pining for your youth
•   Engaging in office politics
•   Buying stuff you don’t need with money you don’t have 
•   Getting fat
•   Questioning your path in life
•   Dealing with aging parents
•   Climbing the corporate ladder
•   Complaining about high taxes
•   Engaging in illicit affairs
•   Battling addiction
•   Living vicariously through your children

Did I miss anything?