Listening to our peer’s podcasts shows that many adults never really do feel like a full on grown up. Even those interviewed that have met all the major milestones of adulthood said things like they “still feel like a kid sometimes” and “don’t always want to take on the responsibilities of adulthood.” Listening to real adults talk about being adults somewhat discredits the idea of emerging adulthood. In my first paper, I talked about grown, older adults in a way that made them seem to look down at young adults entering the real world, or trying to. After listening to more interviews, it seems that this is not the case at all. Older generations are not waiting for us to grow up faster, they are understanding that entering the adult world is hard, and takes many years. Even when you are in the full swing of adulthood, you may not feel like a true adult. There is more of a grey area of adulthood, where you are physically grown up, but not always taking on the responsibilities full time. Living in this safe grey area definitely makes growing up a bit more comfortable, and having adults in your life to help you and understand what you’re feeling helps as well.
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