When do we become adults? In the eyes of the church, I became an adult at 13, still donning braces and a Panic! At The Disco shirt. Legal definitions of adulthood vary across the globe, with ages 16 to 21 being the typical adult limbo.
Millennials are pushing back the maturation process in record numbers. This year, over a third of college students planned to live with their parents after graduation. Milestones like getting married or buying a house are being postponed in an effort to save money and combat student loans; perhaps surprisingly, according to a 2016 Bankrate survey, millennials save more of their paychecks than any other group.
But what about when millennials finally leave the nest? Independence requires basic responsibilities that millennials have warped into accomplishments. The word “adulting” has pervaded our culture and celebrates mundane tasks like cleaning the bathroom or buying real chicken instead of chicken nuggets. Although “adulting” is sometimes employed ironically, brands like Starbucks, Target and Amazon are boasting Twitter hastags with a word that extols mediocrity.
In a 2014 survey, 82 percent of grown-ups said they performed regular chores growing up but only 28 percent said they ask their children to do the same. The growing academic demands and childhood extracurriculars this generation has faced may account for the reduction of childhood chores. But it’s hard to deny the value of chores. Children who grow up doing chores probably will not laud their efforts when they continue them into adulthood. Children who do not grow up with as many chores may find doing laundry to be a novel task which warrants celebration.
Social media has fed this generation’s compulsion to brag about their achievements. Respectable adults don’t Snapchat a picture of their briefcases with the caption, “Too much work.” When my father works two consecutive jobs, he doesn’t write a masturbatory post on Instagram about “Makin That $.” He comes home, sometimes past midnight, and goes straight to bed so he can wake up at 5:30 to do it all again. Many of our parents come from an old-school mentality that disparages complaining. They simply do what has to be done without the need to out-adult everyone else.
Hard work and commitment to one’s well being harbors an intrinsic reward. The pride we feel from being mature is important, but it does not make us special. The “every child gets a trophy” mantra has dictated this generation’s need to feel unique.
Cooking a family recipe or picking up an extra shift at work should be valued as mature attainments. It’s sad to see intelligent, accomplished people trivialize these tasks with the word “adulting.” The word implies that its user cannot handle the everyday responsibilities of an adult and must therefore pat themselves on the back when they come close to it.
Millennials are bashed right and left by older generations. In reality, millennials have proven themselves to be more tolerant, financially sound and dubious of the status quo. This generation does not take things at face value. Millennials must stop infantilizing themselves and continue to show the world how powerful they can be. Because to use the word “adulting” is in its very nature kidding.
Kristen DiPietra is a junior double-majoring in English and human development.