Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I find it interesting that over the years older and older adults are being referred to as kids. It wasn't that long ago that when you were 10 years old you were working on the farm or going to fight for our country in the civil war.
Now I am not advocating we revert to that time in history but I wonder if the longer we treat adults as kids then the longer they will not take responsibility for their actions and lives.
It seems the average age that adults are still being referred to as kids is in the early 20's now. Seems a little old to me?
My kids are in their 20s... and they will always be my kids.
I don't treat them as kids, but I refer to them as such.
Was going to say the same thing! And I'm over 40 myself and still my mom's kid
I think the OP is referring to the fact that today's young adults are taking longer to identify themselves as "grownups". They are delaying marriage and even delaying looking for career type jobs in some cases.
In a way, I think it is natural evolution bringing us these changes. This country was founded by independent thinkers and since that time we have been the nation that values individual freedom and independence more than any other country. This includes the freedom to "be" or "not be" whatever we want whenever we want. We are less contrained now by family expectations (like the family farm of days past) than ever before.
Since the 1940's this nation has prospered significantly - to the point where we have had more disposable income (in general) than any previous time in our history. Add the two together - independence/freedom to do what we please with the money or wherewithall to do so and you have a generation of young adults playing more and taking longer to join the grownup ranks
Was going to say the same thing! And I'm over 40 myself and still my mom's kid
I think the OP is referring to the fact that today's young adults are taking longer to identify themselves as "grownups". They are delaying marriage and even delaying looking for career type jobs in some cases.
In a way, I think it is natural evolution bringing us these changes. This country was founded by independent thinkers and since that time we have been the nation that values individual freedom and independence more than any other country. This includes the freedom to "be" or "not be" whatever we want whenever we want. We are less contrained now by family expectations (like the family farm of days past) than ever before.
Since the 1940's this nation has prospered significantly - to the point where we have had more disposable income (in general) than any previous time in our history. Add the two together - independence/freedom to do what we please with the money or wherewithall to do so and you have a generation of young adults playing more and taking longer to join the grownup ranks
Thank you for clarifying what I was trying to say.
Delayed adulthood is the result of evolving eduation requirements for our society. Children moved away from home at 13 to work as apprentices in other cities. As technology evolved, high school was a requirement for the workforce, which kept children home longer. Now, college is becoming the new minimum standard. I read once that adolescence didn't exist 200 years ago, and the moodiness of today's teenagers is the result the lack of freedom due to society's education requirements keeping them dependant on their parents longer.
I think parents will always consider their children to be their "kids" even when they're grown, moved away, and have their own families.
What I dislike is when people (not the parents) will refer to 20-somethings as a "kid". They're NOT "kids"... they're grown adults. If they act like "kids", that's their problem but don't excuse them by saying "the kid didn't mean it" or whatever.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
