Adulting is nothing new, especially if you live on a college campus. #Adulting trends on Twitter, and people talk about adulting on Facebook to mean doing something that is generally regarded as something an adult would do, like paying taxes or going to a job interview.
Now, while this is fairly harmless, there have been a few times while scrolling through social media that I've noticed a sort of backlash for the phrase. It seems childish to some, like doing "adult like things" is a trend of some sort. Like we aren't taking things seriously. Others regard it as a sign of immaturity, as if we're joking. Generally, people tend to jab at us for not knowing basic life skills that seem like common sense to many who have been considered adults for a number of years.
But I ask this: how is it our fault if we don't know something? Sure, there are some who could stand to ask more questions - myself included - but ignorance isn't stupidity, or even immaturity. That's where the phrase "there are no stupid questions" comes from (although sometimes I get frustrated regardless). If someone is willing to learn and willing to ask, they deserve an answer. But, I digress.
I'm not sure where the phrase "adulting" began, despite having used it myself, but it seems like many people my age know what it means. We use phrases like "I don't wanna adult!" and "I adulted today, time for pajama pants." While sometimes it's as a joke, we're proud when we do things like get a car, or pay our bills on time.
Not all of us were taught how to do these things, after all. Not all of us know how to do taxes, or check the oil in a car, or apply for a job. Lots of times, we're running into these things headfirst and figuring them out for ourselves. We're finding our places in the world, one by one, and I simply don't feel like we deserve to be ridiculed for trying to put our best foot forward.
Everyone, at some point in their lives, had to learn. We weren't born knowing everything. That wouldn't be any fun! So while we may be doing it differently, that doesn't invalidate the way we're doing it.
So I say, let #adulting trend some more. Because we deserve to be proud of our accomplishments.
