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Just this past Sunday in church the pastor said something that really resonated with me: God never intended for people to test marriage like they test drive cars.  That is essentially what couples do when they choose to live together before they get married or divorce.  One of my colleagues shared with me that even when she and her husband were engaged his parents frowned on her spending the night at his home.  It seems that couples want to make sure that they are compatible and can tolerate one another in a living arrangement before deciding to tie the knot but, from what I understand God intended for people to be joined and learn to love each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly—like he does with us every day.
The discussion also reminded me of how badly I wanted to become an adult when I was in high school. Now that I'm an adult I often wish I could go back to high school and never grow up. I moved away from home at the age of 26.  My mom begged me to stay but I wanted to be on my own.  Needless to say I returned three years later and I have been able to save more money while helping my mother as well.

Link to second picture:
http://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/filestorage/living-together-lease-flirt-couple-funny-ecard-mKW.png

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Watching the video, I found it interesting the statistics the reporter mentioned. According to the video, 40% of young adults have moved back home at least once in their 20's. I also found it very interesting to learn that young adults in their 20's go through about 7 jobs before they find their career. By being a young adult in my late twenties, I could see how this statistic is very reasonable. I too have went through quite a few jobs before I finally settled within my career. Also the statement that young adults back in the day were more stable in their 20's than in today's society was very interesting, but I must agree. Therefore, the 30's has now become the new 20's.

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I love that the professor in the video was so tolerant and accepting of this new role that society has evolved to allow.  Though the statistics the news anchor reported seemed off-putting, like 1/3 of people in their twenties moving once a year or having 7 different jobs, or moving back in with parents, the professor seemed to be completely at ease with these statistics.  It seemed as though the reporter was expecting the professor to chastise or condemn emerging adults due to these statistics, but the professor did an excellent job of explaining circumstances and informing the audience that this is ok- it is ok for a 25 year old to still be in school, or looking for the career they find fulfilling, or living at home.  That this generation was raised to believe they/we could be whatever we want and instead of settling for work and money emerging adults are seeking fulfillment and education.  I love this video and I found it extremely informative and reassuring. My pictures represent the way young adults were kind of forced by the demands of society into contributing to the war and industrialization in the past, whereas now, society has made a space for emerging adults to dabble with photography or writing, and expose themselves to an amazing amount of information at their fingertips before committing to anything. - Ashleigh Delacerda

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I agree that it was interesting that gender roles and family structure changes were not a bigger part of the conversation/stats. I wonder what those stats are and agree that has to have much more of an impact than discussed here.

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My first thought is HOW DID I MISS THIS! Unfortunately, I was married at 21 and pre-emerging adulthood stage being added. It's interesting because my sister only a year younger followed this emerging adulthood process/stage. I think it's really interesting that Jeff Arnett states we have the same brains it's the economic, political, and societal changes. That strikes me as odd - thought perhaps I don't understand how long physiological evolution related to brain development takes. Another interesting thing stated it is a world-wide phenomena in industrialized countries. I'm not convinced but agree there are some stats and instances I've seen with young adults I know personally. Perhaps my cynicism is because I missed the phase...sigh.

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I understand why older generations may think emerging adults are being lazy or irresponsible for waiting until their 30's to take on responsibilities that we usually associate with being an adult. Because of cultural, economical, and social changes though time, emerging adults are not lazy or irresponsible, they are just different from generations before. It's nice to see that someone has done extensive interviewing that shows that young adults are still working and taking care of responsibilities, even if they are waiting to get married and have children.  Jessica Frizzell

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Emerging Adulthood continued

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Emerging Adulthood (from a 48yo student)

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Emerging Adulthood (from a 48yo student)

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One of the things that struck me while watching this video was how very different "education" (especially college) has changed within my own lifetime. Upon graduation from high-school, going to college was one of the expectations that most of my age cohorts had... in other words - GOING to a campus, attending classes in person, and doing everything via "paper and pencil". The technological revolution that has occurred within my young adulthood (past 28 years) has been amazing. Now, we "see" each other virtually - in our online classes - and rarely use paper to write papers (ha!). During the emergence of my own young adulthood, many of us never imagined what life "online" would be like, as there wasn't an "internet" for us then - and very few folks had personal computers (those were still very expensive, large/desktops only, and rare - even in college and grad school of the 1980s)...

The two pictures attached illustrate how very different things were and are in the realm of education... and from my perspective, it's a great thing... online opportunities help to make those of us who have emerged into adulthood and are now pushing 50 embrace a "lifelong learning" approach - and present to us new ways of relating to professors, classmates, and information (in various forms other than books and lectures). I see this as PROGRESS!

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The difference between now and when most of our parents grew up is that the social stigma of getting married, being successful at your job, having children and buying a house is happening in age ranges of 30-45 instead of 18-30, and that's ok. The frustrating thing for young adults and parents, according to the video and my personal experience is that after college, young adults realize that life is tough as an adult and its hard to afford things or find a job, so they move in with their parents but don't contribute and end up costing their parents more money and the young-adult doesn't have their freedom anymore. Families 30 to 50 years ago, were comprised of parents in work very early twenties who married young and had children young and by 40, their children were grown adults. Now, it is more common and accepted to see a mother in her 30s and 40s with a very young child because she decided to wait because she took her twenties to get her career on track or waited until she had enough money to afford to have Child, which in this economy, it's hard to know how long to wait because times are so financially tough.

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Paige Hood

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The video on the idea of Emerging Adulthood was very eyeopening, especially as someone who could fit the stereotype of an emerging adult. Both my parents and my in-laws were married and had children by the age I was when I graduated college whereas most of my friends are not married or have children (I'm 27). Being 27, married, a home owner, and a mother puts me in a group that is becoming increasingly more rare; more and more people are using their 20s to explore rather than settle down. I can say that it was more socially acceptable for me to wait and experiment and figure my life out on my own than I would have expected and would have been expected even a decade ago, but I'm still stereotypically "further along in life" than most of my classmates. "30 is the new 20" describes the changing social patterns and I'm glad that social science is adapting to these changes.
The photos I've included show the past- an ideal family gazing upon their most important investment: their home. The second picture is from an article in The Atlantic that discussed how millennials aren't buying homes and what it means for the economy. Because people my age are graduating with increasing amounts of student loan debt and are also not so certain on homeownership, they are putting off buying a home whereas that would have been a reasonable expectation in previous generations. In previous generations, buying homes helped to boost the economy but that is not the case with this generation. I, too, moved back in with my parents for some time because of high debt and low income and probably wouldn't be a homeowner today had my husband not already owned the home we are currently living in prior to our marriage. It will be interesting to see how social sciences (including economics) flux to adapt to this new developmental group. -Kelsey LaNou

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(Goes with my post above ^^)

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I think the most interesting thing I found in this video was the difference in what I'd say is life phase. I thought it was super interesting how the speaker discussed that past twenty year olds had kids at twenty one. They were getting married. It's crazy to me because I feel like today people look at that as so early or as if they are too young to make those kind of large life steps. I understand the difference of education delaying these life points, but I am curious as to the opinion change. Why do people look at twenty one year olds getting married as too young? Are young people less mature now? What contributed to this? I included two photos I found very interesting. The one of today's time I think fits perfectly with the point of the video that people in their twenties today are still trying things out; they're not settling down and slowing down. The second photo represents past relationships, and you can see the young family already has several children and look very family oriented. They are settled down grown ups in comparison to today"s time.

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I found it interesting that emerging adulthood was even categorized like adolescence or adulthood was. But after thinking about it, I am seeing more and more of "30 being the new 20". Many people are prolonging their college years, as well as marriage and having kids. In the 1970's, the median age for marriage was 21 for women and 23 for men. In 2009, those ages moved to 26 for women and 28 for men. Like Jeffrey pointed out, many people are now using their 20s to explore many options and have fun before settling down into adulthood.

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I found it interesting that emerging adulthood was categorized as the transition between adolescence and young adulthood. When I think of young adulthood, I think of a 22-25 year old who has just graduated college and is ready to start their life. However, like Jeffrey Arnett stated, 30 is the new 20. People are prolonging their education and putting off marriage and kids until later. The median age for marriage in 2009 was 26 for women and 28 for me versus 21 for women and 23 for men in the 1970's. I personally don't know many, if any, people who have drug out their college years or who have moved back in with their parents during their 20s in search of financial support or time to save money. I come from a small town so most people either go to college or start a job right out of high school, get married during that time, have kids, and have stable "adult" lives by their mid 20s.

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I was surprised they didn’t talk more about the huge transformation of gender roles in the past few decades and how maybe this has affected what young adulthood looks like today. We really must consider how much of the population is made up of females and how such a change in a large percentage of the population could significantly alter statistics. Women outnumber men in college and are now far more involved in the workforce. More than half of those that pursue post-college degrees are female. I believe this has forced couples to wait to get married with both individuals focused on pursuing education and developing careers. With early marriage no longer the norm and women becoming more equal to men, people can focus on their individual goals instead of chasing societal expectations of what their gender entails. Gender is no long as important as it once was and I feel we all have greater opportunity to follow our dreams and express who we are without labels, men and women alike. Young adults today don’t feel the same pressure to conform to societal standards as they did in the past. I feel fortunate to grow up in a decade where it is normal to wait for what truly makes you happy.

Sofia Webb

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I know myself and a few other relatives who lived with their parents until about 30.  I myself stayed for the purpose of paying my way through school and as my father got older I stayed to help him.  The case is similar for other people I know who have or is doing the same.  People my age and younger would make comments to make me feel guilty for still living with my father, as if I were not an adult or that I did not pay bills or have responsibilities.  Older adults would encourage me to stay as long as I needed to.  I used to feel guilty but, I realized living with my father afforded me a lifestyle where I could still work, go to school, keep bills to a minimum and still be able to save and enjoy my youth.  Watching the video on Emerging Adulthood helped to put things into perspective for me and removes the shame for moving out of my father's house after thirty.  The new reality is children are not moving out of their parent's home at 18 but in their late twenties.  This allows them the opportunity to obtain higher education and obtain a lucrative career without accumulating a massive amount of debt in the process.

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I really enjoyed the stats that were given at the beginning of the video. The one that stuck out to me the most is people in their 20's go through an average of 7 jobs. I am 23 years old and have had 5 jobs just in my 20's so far in addition to being a student. Even with a bachelors degree it is hard to find a job that pays well. I sometimes get frustrated with myself because I wish I could be making more money. At age 23 people 40 years ago already had bought a house, got married, and were having kids. Now days people at age 23 are traveling, still attending school, living with their parents, and trying to pay off student loans. Growing up my parents always stressed how important it was for me to work and save money. Neither one of them attended college and they got married at 20.  They expected me to own my own home, get married, and start having kids by time I am 25.  Due to their expectations and good parenting I have paid off my undergrad student loans, bought a house, and am engaged.  I have always felt the need to fulfill their expectations and have tried extremely hard.  Sometimes it can be difficult because it is a completely different time and the expectations need to change. Parents should be understanding that their kids want/need to move back home as a transition period.  The cost of living is becoming too high, especially when it is hard to find a decent paying job with only a bachelors.  Most employers want a master degree or higher and years of experience.  It is hard to find a place that will give you the experience.  Life isn't like the picture below anymore and probably never will be again. The picture to the right is a good representation of how parents and children feel during the transition period. Everyone is frustrated. Don't parents understand that their child in their 20's would definitely rather be living on their own if they could afford it?

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I think the emerging adulthood topic is so interesting. On one spectrum I see people on their phones when out to eat with a group of people, and on the other hand I see people becoming more educated than ever before. I can fully understand why older adults get mad about the younger generation, but the younger generation has already brought so much to the world of technology, due to always being on their phones.I think there can be an in between for today's young adults and older adults because both can benefit from technology, but need to limit the amount of time on the phones. My sister and her friends snapchat EVERYTHING they do. Whether it's walking around the block, eating a meal, or of a wall, they are constantly sending pictures. I think there is an in between that we need to reach. Our family rule for the dinner table is no phones. If something is so urgent in the twenty to thirty minutes we are eating, then we will see it on our phones after. I will probably pass this rule down to my children as well because I hate seeing a group of people out for a meal and are constantly on their phones and not making conversation. I also think it is interesting that due to education people are now getting married later and having kids later. I've been dating my boyfriend for over 5 years now and the older generation is always asking me when we are going to get married, and i always tell them when I am finished with my education. Back when the older generation was younger it was uncommon to not be married by 25 and then start having children, so I think they have a tough time seeing it through my point of view sometimes. I could also relate to the video when he said that sometimes emerging adults need to move back in with their parents in order to get their feet on the ground. I moved back in with my parents twice, and just moved out (hopefully) for the last time! It was extremely helpful because I was able to save money while preparing for graduate school.

-Brelyn Howard

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I related a lot to the points that Jeffery had about emerging adults. I had those parents that were stuck on the ideation that your kids had to be out of the house and on there own by 18. Because I didn't have that many job opportunities that would land me in a position of financial stability at 18, I joined the military because that was my only option. It was interesting to hear about Italian families that it is common to not leave mom and dad until you are at least married. I wonder if things would have been different for me if I had the option to live at my parent’s house as long as I wanted. I also like how Jeffery pointed out that career jobs take longer to get into nowadays because we have moved into a technological economy compared to the booming industrial economy of the past.
- Justin Arnold

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--Anna Dought

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In the video, they mentioned how comforting it can be to know that many people are going through this life stage.  This certainly applies to me and other people in my generation in my family.  I got married when I was 28, my cousin just got married at 30, and my step siblings and other cousins are not even close to marriage and are in their mid-twenties.  All of us have also moved out of our parents' homes and back at least once.  It made a lot of sense to me that this is at least partly due to the types of jobs available.  A factory or industry job requires less education and can be entered into immediately.  Also, at the time many of these jobs were available, the wage the man earned was expected to be enough to support his entire family.  At that time, if you did not earn enough to support your family it would have been seen as lazy or abnormal.  Now, it really does take two salaries (for many of us) to raise a family.  And more education is required to access those salaries.  Also, a college degree does not guarantee a well-paid job.  It usually takes years to work up to a good salary and living conditions that reflect an individual's choice rather than what they can afford.  In the mean time, new employees often work longer hours than senior employees as they try to set themselves apart and move up in the company.  All of these things work together to delay settling down.  One thing they did not mention is how this is reflected in the media.  In the past there were shows like Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, the Dick Van Dyke show, etc.  All of these shows centered on family life .  Now we have shows like the Big Bang Theory that focus more on single people and the emerging adult demographic.  Gotham, Parks and Recreation, the Walking Dead, the 100 in addition to many others do not put a lot of focus on a traditional family structure.  I think this is a reflection of the change in life expectations and it also influences expectations in society.
--Anna Doughty

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I remember back in high school when my dad got in an argument with one of my teachers about whether or not I should go to college after I graduated. She was a little harsh and told him that he was stupid if he did not push me into college. She is a prime example of the shift in expectations for young adults today. As the video says, things shifted from earlier marriage and families to post-secondary education or intense workforce. Yes, I agree with the recent ideals of doing as much as you can when you're in your 20s, but I also think part of this involves as much learning as you can. These debts from school are more common for young adults today, making the "business decision" of moving back home to save money more common as well. These things need to be remembered in order to avoid the negative stereotypes.
- Carly Tebo

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Something that I found very interesting about the video was discussed at the very beginning.  According to the video, one-third of those in their twenties move to a new residence every year and forty percent of them move back home at least once.  This is interesting to me because I personally fall into that category.  Instead of continuing on my own after graduating with my Bachelors degree, I actually moved back into my parent's house for the purpose of saving money and paying off my college debt. Back in the day that would not have happened.  It was also interesting to me that in today's society marriage occurs later than ever, averaging at about twenty-eight or so, when back in the 1970's the average age at first marriage was twenty-one for women and twenty-three for men.  Instead of starting their adult lives on their own, getting married, and starting their career, many young adults today are moving back home for the main purpose of saving money.  This difference is demonstrated in the two pictures I have posted.  It is not that either is right or wrong, it just demonstrates the differences in priorities of the times.
-Kenneth McElroy

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I thought it was interesting to learn about how the perception of adulthood played a part in the the emerging adulthood stage seen today. Fifty years ago adulthood was viewed as a big achievement and something to look forward to. Now, emerging adults view adulthood as stagnation and an end to anything fun and interesting. This contributes to their desire to delay this stage in life and use their 20’s as a time of exploration and fun before setting into adulthood. The pictures below depict these different perceptions of adulthood. 

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I thought it was interesting to learn about how the perception of adulthood played a part in the the emerging adulthood stage seen today. Fifty years ago adulthood was viewed as a big achievement and something to look forward to. Now, emerging adults view adulthood as stagnation and an end to anything fun and interesting. This contributes to their desire to delay this stage in life and use their 20’s as a time of exploration and fun before setting into adulthood. The pictures below depict these different perceptions of adulthood. 

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-Alexandra Peltzman

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I was also struck by the idea that older adults are concerned about this generation of young adults. 

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I was also struck by the idea that older adults are concerned about this generation of young adults. 

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Although I can agree to an extent that there's a problem with the change in milestone timing, I find there's a problem with making a blanket statement regarding this issue. This picture is a great depiction of my grandmother in her mid 20's. The next picture is a great depiction of the majority of my friends and myself in our mid 20's. I believe the majority of young adults today are more focused now on finding their purpose and independent stability before settling into adult life. - Taylor Courtney

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I found it quite interesting regarding the new "emerging adulthood" phase of life.  To me, it seems as though we are regressing as a society instead of progressing.  I see that with the advancement of technology, we are producing kids that aren't having to work as hard as they once had to 50 years ago and to me, that's not progression.  I still have my children occassionaly use the dictionary and thesaurus and they know what an encyclopedia is.  It's not that I want them stuck in the past, but I want them to appreciate how far we have come and know that things and people will always be evolving.

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I found it quite interesting regarding the new "emerging adulthood" phase of life.  To me, it seems as though we are regressing as a society instead of progressing.  I see that with the advancement of technology, we are producing kids that aren't having to work as hard as they once had to 50 years ago and to me, that's not progression.  I still have my children occassionaly use the dictionary and thesaurus and they know what an encyclopedia is.  It's not that I want them stuck in the past, but I want them to appreciate how far we have come and know that things and people will always be evolving.

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so my question is....Is there something in between?

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so my question is....Is there something in between?

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Here's how things looked when my parents were young adults

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Here's how things looked when my parents were young adults

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I was struck by the idea that older adults are worried about today's young adults.  They see the change in milestone timing as a problem. I sometimes do too.

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I was struck by the idea that older adults are worried about today's young adults.  They see the change in milestone timing as a problem. I sometimes do too.

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Here's how it looks sometimes to me. Below are young adults of today