20-Somethings

I’m really tired of hearing crap about our generation being lazy, entitled… especially since this article: What Is It About 20-Somethings?

I happen to be one of the few people my age with a good job, a house and a husband, but that was pure luck. I just happened to know what I wanted to do with my life, my parents’ supported me while I got my degree, and it happened to be a profitable degree.

I just read this article: Dear NY Times, Here’s Why I Haven’t ‘Grown Up.’ Love, a 20-Something, and I couldn’t agree more. What’s wrong with using all the time and resources at your disposal to make the best decisions you can for your life? Why rush if you don’t have to?

The comments after are awful! Basically telling her to grow up and let her parents enjoy their time alone together. If her parents are anything like my parents, they probably like her being home.

A few weeks ago at work, as part of this “Leading With Distinction” lecture series, a woman was talking about diversity and the differences between the generations. First time I ever heard anything positive about our group. Our generation happens to be really close to our parents. Is that such a bad thing? We text instead of calling. Again, bad? Instead of waiting a week for my friends to call me back when they have time, I can make dinner plans with them within an hour. We’re better with computers, we’re better at multitasking, we bring in a new perspective.

Apparently we’re also careful about screwing up our lives. Or maybe careful in general. My parents, like many others, are way over protective. Even now I need to call them when I get home after visiting. We were taught that the world is a scary place and to be extra careful about everything. You’re surprised we’re not leaving home? Hey, old people, this is the world you’ve created for us. You don’t like how we turned out, blame yourselves. I think we’re OK though.

8 Responses

  1. Yeah, this fear of the downfall of newer generation has been going on since my mom was a kid, and probably has been around throughout history. It hasn’t panned out yet.

  2. Sweet post and link, Lissy! I’d say my group of friends alone is a testament to the fact that 20somethings are working hard, and finding happiness in ways that matter to them, even in a society that is hitting us with more and more obstacles, some of which were caused by the recklessness of previous generations.

  3. I just wanna give this a big thumbs up. I’m always frustrated when the news calls us irresponsible and frivolous, personally I think our generation is being a lot more responsible, trying to care for our community. (not all of us though!) XP

  4. Absolutely this kind of generation-questioning has been going on forever. I think it has more to do with societal changes that each generation has to adapt to and older generations can’t relate to having to grow up in that world. Not to worry, your generation is fine. And there is no right way or wrong way to make your way in the world unless you’re harming other people.

    Look at the success of Eat Pray Love – which I am desperately trying to finish before the movie ads totally turn me off. She’s 35 and indulging herself by wandering and trying to find her inner peace. Which is fine because she can afford to do that. Most of us have to try to find inner peace while trying to survive (i.e. make money by working).

  5. I think our generation is half-and-half, like most others. Half of them need to grow up, move out, and stop relying on Mom and Dad to foot the bills. The other half, though, have lives that are heading somewhere. Who knows when, or where, but they are really trying to get there. They are who I’d like to be associated with, but unfortunately that’s not the case.

  6. Great blog! I agree 100%, they really did create this world for us, based on the things that were happening in THEIR time. I guess in our time too, as we have so much going on to be considered dangerous. In my personal opinion, I think that all parents should help their kids get to a comfortable place in life, that’s what parents do. There are too many people who aren’t close to their parents at all and they are so misguided. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being close to parents either! It just seems easier for the Baby Boomers to say the things that they do. I mean, we’re evolving, that’s what we’re supposed to thing. Things were never meant to remain the same. They see it as a bad thing because they’re set in their ways, when all it is really is evolution. That’s how the world works.

  7. Hey, old people, this is the world you’ve created for us. You don’t like how we turned out, blame yourselves. I think we’re OK though.

    Touche, my friend! The comments really pissed me off. But I think they’re not made by the Boomers though. I have a feeling they’re made by the Gen-X. Even at my work place, I see a bit of tension between the Gen-X and Y and not so much between the Boombers and Ys.

Comments are closed.