Here’s the truth:
We’re aware that our Instagram feeds are not a complete picture of everyone’s lives and that it brings on more drama and mental breakdowns than we’re proud of admitting. It’s their highlight reels, but we rarely get a glimpse of the struggle. That’s what Twitter’s for. While you see people getting engaged, buying houses, having adorable babies and getting fulfilling jobs, it’s hard not to feel left behind.
Of course we have to endure the constant commentary from the older generations because millennials are “the worst”. We’re labeled as lazy, entitled and are off track to adulthood because we are in no rush to settle down. It’s like we don’t feel like we’ve become adults until we’ve reached certain milestones set by the older generation and that isn’t the case at all.
There are plenty of milestones that are indicators of success and adulthood conforming into one, but why do certain things always have to indicate that we’ve made it as adults? Being an adult as a millennial isn’t about paying a mortgage or getting engaged or having the Pinterest perfect family photos. It’s so many more things.
It’s having younger relatives or coworker’s kids asking you to donate to their schools fundraiser and not really wanting to pay, but doing it because you’re feeling forced to. It’s about getting baby fever, but only in an aunt way because you aren’t ready to have a baby but you still want to unconditionally love a child and watch them grow too.
It’s about finally being able to buy all the junk food in the world and keeping it in your desk drawer at work without your mom knowing to judge you. It’s about getting to feel fat after binging on McDonalds after having a breakdown in the parking lot over something stupid. Not to mention wishing there were such inventions like a see through toaster or a drive-thru pasta place.
It’s about being overly protective of your car or anything in your possession that’s remotely expensive because you worked your ass off to finally have this. It’s also about realizing how fast produce goes bad when you have to buy it yourself because food is expensive AF.
It’s also about breaking up with someone even though you love them because you know it will never last; Or realizing you never want to actually get married or have kids. You also may have to recognize you need to quit the job that looks great on your resume because it’s slowly killing all of your energy so you have to find one that’s healthier for you regardless if you lose your status or not. There are life changing decisions you have to make and you independently have to start making these choices that will affect the rest of your life.
Yes, it’s still about buying a ton of throw pillows for your bed and only sleeping on one despite having 8 to make a cute Instagram photo (and because Marshall’s is just so damn addicting to shop at), and trying to figure out how to stay cool and relevant with teenagers and on social media. But that’s part of what makes growing up fun. Your life is one big “what the f*ck am I doing?” moment.
We’re all in a rush to prove ourselves as well-functioning members of society who can pay taxes. We show off how much of an adult we are by flaunting our beautiful professionally taken photos, our glossed business cards that cost an additional 25 cents to make. And a person we’re only dating to seem like we have our lives together when in actuality you want to punch them for 80% of the day. We’re just stuck comparing ourselves to other people and creating an unfair pressure and standard.
There is still so much growing up I have to do and self-evolving changes that need to happen to help pave my path in this place called life. I have a lot of questions that even Google can’t answer for me, and there are experiences I need to have that are crucial for my development. I can’t focus on buying a house right now or picking my future wedding dress (though I will always have this idea thanks to Say Yes To The Dress marathons), hell, I don’t even have a man yet.
But, even if I’m not at these stages, I’m still an adult. I’m an adult who is in the middle of starting her career and still trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing. And guess what, even our parents who we think know everything in life still have chaotic moments of panic; so we’re fine to feel this way. We’re all totally normal if we don’t have things figured out yet either, that’s for us to figure out when the time comes.
