The myth of adulting
Adulting is the worst—and yes, “adulting” is a real word. Adulting is an informal noun that is defined by Oxford Languages as “the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks”. Within this definition, however, there is no age at which one has to start adulting, so let us discuss this matter.
I started adulting at 17 years old when I had a family emergency; then COVID hit in 2020, and everything stopped—therefore, I was not an adult anymore. Then, college started, and having to act as an adult became an everyday task; and when I say act, I really mean act: a full-on theater production. I was not even close to being a true adult and I did not want to be paying credit card bills or school loans yet.
So, when does one truly have to become an adult? Is it as soon as one turns 18? That is when we are considered to be an adult legally, as we can now vote and make our own decisions without parental knowledge; but at the same time, we cannot drink or buy things like alcohol or marijuana until 21 years old. So, is 21 the age at which we are considered adults? Is this when we are free to do anything that we wish? I say no. As an almost-21-year-old I am still very much dependent on my parents. While this could be because I have a supportive family life, I think a lot of college students still live at home and need money from family at times. I am a broke college kid, for goodness sake!
I feel that we have fully reached adulthood when we start to pay for our individual phone bills, so if you are already doing that, then congratulations—you are an adult! I have not reached that level of financial stability yet, and I fear I never will. I also feel strange being under my parents’ insurance, but I most definitely plan on milking that as long as I possibly can. Unfortunately, that is not until 25 years of age that we get kicked off and have to fend for ourselves. I guess the world thinks that is when we can have a full-time job with health benefits. So, then the next question is, is 25 when we are an adult? That’s when car insurance goes down in cost because we are deemed safe drivers—therefore, are we then considered safe adults?
Overall, I think it can be determined that we are never truly adults, and we are just living in the motions of getting older which may make it seem like we are adults to those on the outside, but to our minds, we are forever children with zero responsibilities. Maybe this is where we get the adage, “kid at heart.” Are we really growing up? Or is everything around us getting older with us so then there is no change? Life is confusing, and therefore I have decided I do not like to adult.