How's Your Frontal Lobe?

I think everyone has a set age that they reach when they suddenly wake up knowing that the time has come to be an adult. I reached that age a few years ago, but it seems I am surrounded by people that refuse to admit they are getting older.

I read an article a few years ago in Scientific American (or some other equally nerdy magazine) that cited research finding that the brain is not fully developed until around 25 years of age. It was mentioned again on Oprah, so I knew it must be true. The frontal lobe of our brain, which helps us with reasoning and weighing consequences, comes into full maturity at this time, which is why people under the age of 25 tend to be a lot more moronic. This fact has served me well in my relationship with Mr. Z. Anytime he reminds me of something stupid I did early on in our marriage I just say my brain wasn't fully developed so it wasn't really my fault. But, being that he is 4 years older than me, he doesn't have an excuse. After all, his brain has been fully matured for almost our entire relationship. Check mate!

I've started pondering maturity a lot lately. Not only maturity, but also this weighing of consequences shpeal. I want my sweet daughter to be surrounded by good role models and I fear that just isn't the case. Unfortunately having a good heart is not all there is to life; Thinking and making smart decisions that won't get you into trouble are also valuable skills. I'm not going to call anyone out, because that would be rude. I value my friendships, but I value them a little less as Anna gets older. I've grown tired of drama-filled conversations. I have several friends that I seem to only hear from when they need my help, knowing that I'll say yes. They haven't figured out that the consequence of that is that I'll soon stop helping.

Every day I inch a little closer to 30. I have a family, a mortgage, and am on the path to my dream job. I just don't have time for people that are less-than-genuine anymore. People that are stuck in their freshman year of college or that constantly make the same mistake over and over while expecting a different result, then complaining to me about it, are taking a back seat to the people that really matter most to me. Those people are Sergej and Anna. I have a handful of good friendships that are mutually beneficial, but it is time to just ignore the toxic people in my life. Sure, it's fun to have those people around as examples of what NOT to do, but kids like to emulate the adults that are around them most, so I'd like to keep those kinds of examples to a minimum.

So that is my goal for the remainder of the year: stress less over toxic people and those that act like their frontal lobes aren't fully developed. Rinse. Repeat as necessary.