According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word adult means to be fully grown and mature, in other words, grown-up. Millennials of today use the word "adulting" as a verb, expressing it as a stage in life. Many college students of my age start their first symptoms of "adulting". Buying their own groceries, making their own meals, cleaning, doing their own laundry and etc. I've stumbled upon many Facebook statuses about how many don't know how to work a laundry machine or make their own appointments. Everyone's situation is different, however, I would like to share mine. I've been cleaning dishes, doing my own laundry and making my own appointments since the age of 12. I'm not tooting my own horn on how I've been an adult since a young age. However, I don't consider that as "adulting" or myself as an adult yet.
I believe we should all learn those tasks in our early adolescent years. My parents made sure of that, I learned how to wash dishes and to do my own laundry since my middle school years. I would always wonder why they wanted me to learn this at such a young age and wouldn't let me be a "normal child" and sit there while they did my laundry and prepared my dinner. However, looking at it now, I thank them that I know how to clean out a refrigerator, make a decent homemade meal and etc. It got easier for me to gain independence and to learn new things today. It showed me how to grasp and value responsibility at a young age. I know the term "adulting" is used as a joke most of the time, but sometimes it worries me that some people genuinely believe that is what being an adult is all about.
My definition of "adulting" means to make your own wise and responsible decisions. By that, I mean buying your first car with your own money is "adulting" for me. Having to deal with your taxes, paying your car insurance, or saving your money to invest in something is what I consider being an adult. I still don't consider myself as an adult due to the fact that I still live under my parents' household and they pay for most of my bills. However, we should stop using the term "adulting" when you make your first meal, buy your own groceries or make your own doctor appointment. In my opinion, I believe that's just irresponsible and lazy for oneself not to know how to do a basic task. I hope, for our future, that our children will learn how to perform those tasks at a young age, in order to gain responsibility in their adolescent years, so that they can enter the "adulting" stage in a breeze and not consider such tasks as "adulting".
