I've been a college student for seven weeks now, and I'm astounded at just how quickly I have been able to adjust to college life and doing so much on my own. Back home, even though I had chores, my parents did most of the laundry and cooking for me. I am responsible for my learning and assignments far more than I ever was in high school. Independence is huge and I guess I'm an adult. Or maybe I'm just adulting well.
I pay for my laundry. I arrange dates and transportation. I've had to figure out the headache of making sure my prescriptions are covered by my insurance. I have taken my health and self-care into my own hands. I make my own social plans and work around my own schedule. I actually drink coffee. I voted in my first election. I am the tallest I will ever be.
Adulting is a term frequently used all over social media, countless memes, and it's basically the verb form of the word "adult." The American Dialect Society nominated it to be 2015's most creative construction of a word.
However, the lines for adulthood are so blurred, it makes it difficult to actually feel like an adult. I am nearly 19, and while I work and pay taxes and can vote, drive, and join the military, I cannot legally drink or rent a car. My housing is paid for by my parents and most of my meals are prepared for me. While I have learned to take responsibility for myself and my actions reasonably well, I am not yet financially independent and still have some issues making decisions on my own. One of the Common Application questions I had to answer when applying to college was 'when I felt like I had started to feel like I was growing up.' I attempted to answer that question a year ago, but I'm not sure I had the answer. I'm not even sure I have a clearer idea now.
Adulthood is a big deal in our culture. So many coming of age books and movies surround us. So what exactly is growing up? Perhaps it's simply being responsible for self, learning to take care of others (parenting) as opposed to being taken care of.
So why is my millennial generation so adverse to growing up? We aren't as likely to buy homes and are getting married later than our parents and grandparents. (many live at home). Maybe we're looking for freedom or we're still looking for someone to make phone calls for us.
Obviously, I am not entirely an adult.
