Beagle Street has found that couples only consider themselves to be grownups after they have ticked the following ten boxes. We take a closer at these so called parameters for adulthood.
You're married
You've bought your first home- You have flown the nest for good and your parents can finally rest that neither of you is going to go back to your childhood home after a bad break up or jobless slump.
You've become a parent- You are no longer the babies of the family- you have babies of your own to think about- not just pets- actual little people.
You're married- Living together and joining your finances wasn't enough for you- you wanted to make your commitment to one another legal and public.
You're paying into a pension- You worry about your future and what it might bring, so you save to make sure you can stay in the life you have become accustomed to.
You've become house proud- You have become a pillow fluffer, side wiper and toilet bleacher. Your parents would have never predicted this.
You've taken out life insurance- You worry over life's 'what ifs?'- you may be young still, but you want to be prepared for if the worst happens.
You look forward to a night in- You no longer want to go out and get drunk, you would rather curl up with some popcorn and a soda and watch a good movie with each other.
You enjoy doing DIY- You are at a point in life where if you don't like something- you change it- rather than moaning about it and doing nothing.
You host dinner parties- You know who your real friends are and you don't mind having them around for some good food, lots of chatter and laughs by the bucket load.
You have a joint bank account- You trust each other enough not to run off with all the money or spend it frivolously. You both try to budget and keep a generous float for if one of your lose your job.