To the adults who still treat me like a child,
I am in college. I somehow managed to wake myself up every morning, make my way to class, to work, to find and make myself meals, to do my homework, and to go to sleep without the help of a "real" adult. Although it may be surprising, people over the age of 18 are able to function without constant supervision and being told what to do by someone older than them. My professors expect the same out of the 18 year old incoming freshman as they do the 45 year old mom who is coming back to school to finish her degree. In the world of college, age truly doesn't matter because everyone is seen as equal, no matter how many credit hours they have on their transcripts.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who are more "adult" then I am and people that I will go to when I don't know how to handle a situation. But, I am legally an adult and I expect to be treated like one, especially if I am in a situation where my skills are needed. Professors and faculty of universities across the world treat their students with the same respect as they do their peers. However, other mature adults, outside of the campus setting, continually view people under the age of 25 as incompetent children who are not able to function on their own without constant supervision. This is absolutely infuriating in the fact that there are many things, especially in regards to technology, that the younger generation can do and teach to the older generations in order to have more productive relationships as well as environments, including in the workplace.
The largest problem lies equally with the older generation in the younger generation. The younger generation needs to maintain the same level of respect towards the older generation. However, the older generations need to realize that their younger counterparts are fully capable of doing tasks just as well as the older generation.
My generation gives respect to those who deserve it and those who earn it. Just because someone is older than me does not mean that I will give up my own ideas willingly, simply because of age. I give respect to those who respect me. I will start out every new relationship and friendship with respecting the person in treating them how I want to be treated, but the superiority that older generations feel entitled to is not something that the younger generation puts up with.
Another thing that is common with the younger generation that seems to deter older generations from treating them with the same respect is that the younger generations thrive on authenticity. A common occurrence with elders to youth is that the elders may act one way to a person's face and talk crap about them behind their back. I will say this is about my generation, but I personally feel that younger people will just cut the negativity and unauthentic people out of their lives, whereas older generations try to maintain that relationship.
Don't get me wrong, I completely support the idea that every person demand respect and to be treated equally, but a person should not get special privileges or superiority over another just because they've lived longer. If a more mature adult treats a college student with the same respect as a peer, that adult is far more likely to receive the respect, admiration, and appreciation from that student, as well as a more willing participant in tasks and situations.
Moral of the story, if I am able and expected by the government to be able to pay for my own college tuition, I should be treated with the same respect and as a peer. No, I may not have an established 401(k), mortgage, or kids, but I am an adult and demand to be treated as one.
Rant over.
