My daughter and I had a discussion about young adults today, how young adults in their 20′s aren’t really doing anything. Well, they are doing some things, but mostly those things have to do with, well, with stuff.
My daughter recently read this book – The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter– And How To Make The Most Of Them Now.
“Our “thirty-is-the-new-twenty” culture tells us the twentysomething years don’t matter. Some say they are a second adolescence. Others call them an emerging adulthood. Dr. Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist, argues that twentysomethings have been caught in a swirl of hype and misinformation, much of which has trivialized what is actually the most defining decade of adulthood.
“Drawing from a decade of work with hundreds of twentysomething clients and students, THE DEFINING DECADE weaves the latest science of the twentysomething years with behind-closed-doors stories from twentysomethings themselves. The result is a provocative read that provides the tools necessary to make the most of your twenties, and shows us how work, relationships, personality, social networks, identity, and even the brain can change more during this decade than at any other time in adulthood-if we use the time wisely.”
So I think this about that. If our children remain children long into their twenties, we did that. How did we do that? Well, I’m going to tell you.
I did some really bad shit at a really young age. Not blaming anybody, not getting into details, just sayin’…
I wanted my children to experience an actual childhood. I wanted them to have fun, play, feel supported and protected and secure. Just be kids being kids. I mean, I wanted a lot for my kids, I wanted so much I can’t even begin to describe what I wanted, but I knew what I didn’t want.
I didn’t want them to experience the kind of childhood and adolescence I had. So in a very real sense, I rebelled against my own upbringing and raised them in a reactionary fashion.
I protected them from all that really bad shit. They did find ways to get into trouble all on their own, but that’s another story.
Anyway, my daughter says the book made so much sense to her that she’s re-evaluating her choices. Interesting… She’s also sending the book to her sister. Yee-haw!
