Adult responsibility requires learning certain lessons. Some of these lessons have to be learned through failure. Other lessons, though, are definitely the type you don’t want to learn through failure. Below are four of those lessons.

The Importance of a Home

There’s probably nothing about adult responsibility that’s more important than keeping a roof over your head. This is something that, hopefully, most won’t learn through experience. Letting yourself fall behind on rent because of your spending habits is one of those things that’s better to know in theory than through real experience. Having to deal with the struggles of being homeless isn’t something you want to do under any circumstances, even if you can learn a few very important lessons from the experience.

Keeping a Job

Have you ever been fired or laid off? If you’re lucky, this is something you only know about in theory. You know exactly how important it is to keep a job, even if you don’t know what happens when you are laid off. This is an unfortunate lesson that too many people learn the hard way, but it’s still one you want to avoid at all costs. If you think layoffs are coming, try to get ahead of them by finding a new job. Getting fired might be a good lesson, but it’s one you should learn about from a book.

How the Law Works

There are many great books on the law. That’s where you should learn your lessons about what happens when you break a law – not from experience. Surprisingly, your life can still take a few wrong turns even if you are convicted of a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Watching your life go down the tubes definitely isn’t worth this kind of learning opportunity. If you find yourself on the wrong side of the law, you might need to find a defense attorney to help you reduce the impact on the rest of your life. Adult responsibility comes with abiding by the law.

Filing Bankruptcy

Finally, there’s the matter of bankruptcy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with declaring bankruptcy when it’s your best option. It is, however, not something you really want to deal with first hand. It’s best to exhaust all of your other options and to live within your means when possible. While bankruptcy is something you might not be able to avoid, it’s definitely something better left as an unused option if you can help it.

Adult Responsibility Doesn’t Have To Hurt

There are some lessons about adult responsibility you don’t want to learn about firsthand. Try to stay out of monetary, employment, and legal trouble when you can. While all of those issues can teach you important lessons, they’re definitely not worth the price of learning.