There is no denying it... we are all a bunch of “young punks.”

It is true. I will be the first one to admit it. The truth is that many — I won’t say all — of us millennial post-undergrad women, men and non-binary individuals who are young, fresh and ready to “take the world by storm” are actually nothing more than a nation of... kids (Young-Wild-And Free, but still just Kids...with a capital, “K”). I speak the truth. I mean, think about it! We turned eighteen, and all of a sudden we were “adults”... but only kinda. We still relied on our parents and others for support, and we were also always surrounded by the safety net that is home.

When we went off to college, we remained in this sort of pre-adult stage of life. The safety net of home turned into the safety net of our new home, college. When that happened, our family-home became the hallowed ground for two things: escape and safety. Food, money, laundry, a safe place to run to in order to cry in peace... that is what being at home with the fam-bam became.

And now, we are college graduates. We have been experiencing, growing, and hopefully learning more and more about what it takes to be a “real” adult in today’s world. We have not only been earning a degree, we have been earning adulthood.

We get to the day, we put on the cap and gown, we walk across the stage...and guess what!?... WE STILL ARE NOT THERE! History repeats itself — it is similar (not identical) to the energy we felt when we graduated high school.

Many of us go back to living at home, and if you are like me, you are finding it very daunting and difficult to get your footing out on the pavement. I, like many of you, am a young punk who thought he had/would have more of it figured out. I thought I knew more than I really did about being an adult. I am constantly learning every single day just how hard being an adult can be. I am coming to terms with my own “young punk-ishness.”

I guess, well, it is a road that we all must travel. The road to becoming a “real” adult (if there even is such a thing). And honestly, what I have come to is this: we won’t know ‘til we know. We will not know just how hard it can be until we really experience the unexpected and have to figure things out for our damn selves.

So, from one young punk to another, become aware of your own young punk-ishness, and gear up for the ride of your life. The ride to “REAL” adulthood.

P.S. If you get there before I do... please relay some survival tactics, eh?