When Are Your Officially Grown Up?

There's a very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today. It talks about America's youth have been experiencing an extended childhood, with many American's believing adulthood really begins at 26 and not 18. Children are living longer and longer at home, relying more and more on their parents for not only advice but financial help and direction in their lives.
I thought this was all very interesting. I know many people , including myself who, found themselves at home after college. I don't know if it's the coddling effect mentioned in the story, but it is the expense. But to be honest, I think it's just that many people my age have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and they don't want to suffer without since their parents never showed them that they had to. Ok Gen X and and millenials, it's time to grow up. Our parents did it, why the hell can't we?

Here's an excerpt:

Students from high-pressured, upscale households are more sheltered today than even five years ago, says Lisa Jacobson, founder of inspiring, a New York-based tutoring and test-preparation firm. Parents have been micromanaging these kids lives for so long that the kids often are unable to cope with disappointments and rejections. Parents have to let children develop life skills.

Ground them in reality: Young adults today often expect to have a lifestyle that equals the way their parents are living in middle age. "They should know that to get from A to Z, you've got to go through all the letters in the alphabet," Ms. Shaffer says.