The Kidult Pandemic

As I was meandering through the mamou nooks and crannies of the cyber world with Google as my guide, I stumbled across an article entitled “Addicted to Adultescence” that caught my eye. To debrief you on its content, the article engages in an in-depth discussion about the growing epidemic of “kidults”--mainly between the ages of 18 to 29-years-old--in the USA. Chronicling the life of Matt Swann, authors Alex and Brett Harris expound upon his carefree lifestyle void of responsibility, financial stability, future goals, etc. You get the picture right? Matt is a prime example of a modern day adult going through what’s been coined as adultescence--“extended adolescence.” It’s as if he is perusing through the ostentatious magazines in the library of life’s forefront, with no intention of fully entering through its bewitching, mahogany doors, and divulging in the many volumes of knowledge and experience and wisdom it has to offer.

I’m not quite sure when being a 29-year-old still fully dependent on and residing with mommy and daddy became a notion to be proud of. Let’s face it, an Xbox 360, flat screen television, and jammies with the crease ironed down the middle just how you like it courtesy of mother is not an ideal scene in a bachelor’s pad. As a society we need to step up and inform these adultescents afflicted with this Peter Pan syndrome of their lifestyle’s deleterious nature. Not only does it burden their family members with the unwanted responsibility of caring for them long after they are fully capable of up keeping themselves, but it also robs them of adult experiences such as stable, meaningful relationships and how to hold a steady, dignified occupation.

Although some of us do agree with Dorothy's expression, “There’s no place like home,” there comes a time when we all need to spread our fairly new wings, depart from the nest, and clumsily venture out into the world to discover all it has to offer. The psychologist Jeffrey Arnett notes, “society has finally evolved to the point where pursuing the pleasures of irresponsibility is practical into your late 20s and beyond!” If what we have to look forward to is a society of kidults slouching around viewing lawns, parenthood, mortgages, retirement plans, or anything associated with maturing and adulthood as defunct, then we are in a world full of trouble in the decades to come.