Back in June I was on Cosmopolitan's Snapchat channel and came across an article that talked about the word ‘adulting.’ The article stuck with me not only because it is a word I use, but because it discussed how this made-up term is annoying, overused, and degrading. The author kindly asks millennials to, “shut the hell up about adulting." I understand that over use of a slang word can get old, just like YOLO did back in 2011, but both the denotation and connotation of the word have significance to those who use it. Adulting is real and young adults do it everyday. We also understand that growing up is not a choice; some just figure it out before others.
It is true that ‘adulting’ is not a real word by Webster’s Dictionary standards, but the word still comes with a definition. It is defined by Urban Dictionary as, “to do grown up things and hold responsibilities such as, a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment, or anything else that makes one think of grown ups.” Though the word comes with a definition, it is the connotation of the word that holds the most significance. The world is not what it was forty years ago; it's not even what it was five years ago. In the Cosmopolitan article the author brings up the fact that more adults are still living with their parents than they were in the 1960s. An increase in adults still living at home could possibly coincide with higher education.
A study conducted and released by the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) shows that in the 1960s enrollment in institutions of higher education was about 4 million, by the 1990s the enrollment into higher education surpassed 10 million, and it was estimated that during the fall of last year about 20.2 million students were to attend a school of higher education. Unfortunately the NCES does not show the average cost of tuition in the 60s, the closest average they show is 1983-1984. At this time in the U.S it cost about $3,433 to attend a four-year public institution. During the school year of 2013-2014 it cost about $18,110 to attend a four-year public institution. With more adults enrolling into school even though the cost of college tuition is close to $20,000, it may just be the smart-adult thing to do and live at home until a hefty chunk of your student loans have been paid off. I would rather be living at home at the age of 23 with some financial stability then trying to figure out how I'm going to pay off my credit card bill, pay rent, and buy groceries all in the same month. Let's be real, I am going to have to do some more hard work before I land my dream job and dream salary.
It is no secret that change is constant, and the constant change can be nerve-racking for young adults. Home Economic classes are not all that popular anymore and may not even be mandatory for high school students. Not all parents have the time to sit down and teach their children how to balance a checkbook or plan a family budget, preparation for adulthood is different. ‘Adulting’ is not just a word made up by millennials who are lazy and view growing up just as a hobby. The word helps young adults cope with the fact that each year we are closer to living in the real world and fending for ourselves. When we say something like, “I went to my doctor’s appointment without my mom, I’m adulting,” it is coming from a place of pride and excitement. It may not seem like that big of deal to some, but for those who have had their mom at every doctor’s appointment until now, it is a big deal. The word/hashtag gives us reassurance that even though we are entering adulthood one step at a time, we are not alone. Adulting is a perfect word to use to describe what we millennials are going through. We will continue to take the world by storm, prove people wrong, and keep #Adulting on!
