Sixty years ago the average age to get married was 26-years-old. After tying the knot most folks got a house, had some kids and made a quick transition from being a kind of grown up to a fully fledged adult. But we don’t need to tell you that it doesn’t really work like that anymore. Your post-grad stint in mom and dad’s house is probably doing a pretty good job of making that painfully obvious. If you’re wondering why you still feel like a kid well into your 20s, it turns out you’re not the only one asking that question. UK firms Fly Research and Beagle Street Life Insurance recently interviewed 2,000 British millennials to help understand when and what makes them feel like a real adult.
The most surprising takeaway? Most people don’t actually feel like they’ve hit adulthood until they’re 29-years-old. The main reason twenty-somethings still feel like adolescents tended to be lack of life events that are usually accompanied by more responsibility (ie buying a house, getting married, having kids, etc.) While those seem like obvious reasons, we were surprised at a few other factors respondents associated with adulthood. Some of which included: DIY projects (whaaat?) and hosting a dinner party. If you want to learn how to master both of those things real quick, check here and here. Scroll on down to check out the top ten life events people associated with both adulthood and lingering adolescence.
Top Ten Signs You’ve Become an Adult
1. Buying a home (64%)
2. Having kids (63%)
3. Marriage (52%)
4. Having a pension (29%)
5. Being in charge of your home’s appearance (22%)
6. Life insurance (21%)
7. Getting excited about staying in for the night (21%)
8. DIY work (18%)
9. Being a dinner party host (18%)
10. A joint bank account (17%)
Top Ten Signs You’re Secretly Still a Kid
1. Financial reliance on parents (42%)
2. Living in your parents’ home (36%)
3. Computer games (31%)
4. Kids’ movies (30%)
5. Enjoying cartoons on TV (29%)
6. A fear of becoming an adult/responsibility (28%)
7. Having no desire for a “real job” (22%)
8. Wanting to travel across the world (20%)
9. Having young role models (20%)
10. An absence of life experience (19%)
Where are you on your adulthood journey? Share with us in the comments below.