For me, the moment that codling kids jumped the shark was the day that we started to refer to 25-year-old adults as kids. On one hand, we’re told that 18-year old’s, are adults, and legally they’re treated as such. On the other, you have the codling effect that treats people seven years older as kids. Which is it?
Earlier this year I shared research by TD Ameritrade demonstrating that most adults think 28 is the age when it’s too old for “kids” to be living at home. The latest from the Pew Research Center suggests 64% of Americans believe that by 22 their kids should be financially independent. That’s where the disconnect comes into play.
While nearly two-thirds of parents believe their kids should be ready to handle their own affairs by 22, only 24% of young adults actually are free from parental support at that point. This clearly shows that most parents aren’t happy with the performance of their kids, or should I say reliance. If this is something that’s a concern for you, my father’s guidance comes to mind. He made clear well in advance of our 18th birthday, I’m the youngest of five, that if we stayed in his house past the age of 18 we had to be in college and working to support all other expenses or we had to pay rent. It lit a fire under all of us and it worked. We were all independent in by 22. My dad was a hard-working old-school guy who didn’t believe in kid gloves and handouts. Maybe that’s what’s missing in today’s easily offended society responsible for raising a young generation of financially ignorant adults that toy with the idea of socialism.
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