I was thinking about…

When Did Gen X Suddenly Become Grown-Ups?

By Andy Lee

Am I the only one who looks around sometimes and can’t help but think “When the hell did we get so damn old and responsible?” It’s like one minute I was a kid without a care in the world, and then I turned around and suddenly had a job, mortgage, kids of my own – the whole nine yards of being a full-fledged adult.

Didn’t we just graduate high school and enter the workforce a few years ago? Now people are asking my thoughts on 401ks, refinancing their homes, long-term care insurance and other grown-up topics I barely understand myself. I just nod and pretend like I have it all figured out.

The truth is, being an actual bona fide grown-up still feels incredibly strange sometimes. It’s a harsh realization that we’re now the same age as the characters on The Golden Girls were back in the day. When did THAT happen?

Then I look at my own child who is now an adult himself. Hell, some of you reading this probably even have grandkids at this point! It’s mind-boggling how quickly youth seemed to fade once true adulthood and all its responsibilities came barreling in.

Part of me still feels like that carefree kid who didn’t have a mortgage or marriage weighing them down. Those were the days when responsibilities felt like a million miles away. All that mattered was having fun with friends and not having to worry about “grown-up” things.

But whether we like it or not, here we are adulting harder than we ever could’ve imagined back then. Paying the bills, showing up to that job we used to dream of escaping, making important decisions left and right that impact our families and futures in profound ways.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of great things about being a grown-up too. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to occasionally daydreaming about recapturing that endless feeling of summer from childhood. Those days when our biggest worry was what kind of hijinx we’d get into with our pals.

Ultimately, I suppose we all have to concede that finding fulfillment and purpose is part of the journey into true adulthood, responsibilities and all. Still, that doesn’t make it any less disorienting to look back and wonder “How the hell did I get here already?” While nobody promised we’d feel like a grown-up.

Stay young at heart, embrace responsibilities gradually! 👶👴