On "Adulting"

I never liked the word "adulting." It just bothered me, but I couldn't say why.

I would hear people say things like, "I just bought my first refrigerator! I'm adulting!" That's fine; I'm okay with that.

But if I hear someone say, "I have to go to work today. I'm adulting," it rubs me the wrong way. I think I figured out the reason today.

My 7-year-old was arguing with me this afternoon concerning a book he wanted to look at. The problem was his 4-year-old sister wanted to look at it at the same time.

"But I want it!" he shouted. "Why does she get it first?"

"Because you're the older sibling," I explained as plainly as I could. "You don't act like a four-year-old anymore."

And it was simple as that. An 18-year-old should not act like a 10-year-old, and a 31-year-old should definitely not act like an 18-year-old. But it seems to be more common nowadays that adults are holding onto their childhoods. To be an adult is to have responsibilities, and many would rather not have responsibilities. 

But isn't that a part of life? We learn from our past mistakes (rather than brag about them and long for the "good ol' days") and we pass on the lessons we learned. We distinguish ourselves from children, not because we buy refrigerators, but because we model for them what it means to live lives of integrity.

If you are an adult, there shouldn't be a time when you are "adulting" and a time when you are not. Everything you do should be "adulting."