Gallery: #GrowingUpBlack: Love 'Em or Hate 'Em...Top 10 Rites of Passage That Grew You Up Fast!

As a kid of color, there were so many things that happened to you that marked your transition. Memories! Remember back when you were that little kid who was blissfully unaware of the world, and the world’s awareness of you? Then you became a teen, with a little more experience under your belt which resulted in you acting as if your sh*t no longer stank.

We're sure everyone has memories of their rites of passage as a kid. From the ones that made you cringe to the ones that made you smile, growing up was complete with both experience from the school of hard knocks and “fun” that would make your parents whoop that a**!

The way those initiations went down made you the person you are today. Christened by the cold world’s realities were tough, but the comfort in its aftermath was the bounce back that made you feel a little more hopeful about the next adolescent whammy.

Growing up was tough, but adulting is even harder. So let’s reminisce for a sec on all the rites of passage that we underwent to wash away our ecstatic, but childlike naivety. Here are the top 10 rites of passage that got your feet wet to the real world.