Paglaki ko gusto kong maging...er ano nga ba?

According dito sa article na lumabas sa Chicago Tribune, mayroon na ngayong isa pang unnamed stage after adolescence at adulthood. Kung noon, pagkatapos mag-aral, nagtrabaho ka, nagpakasal at financially independent na, adult ka na. A hundred years ago, you jump from childhood to adulthood. Walang transi-transition. Basta the baby is now a lady. Parang si Juliet Capulet. Trese pa lang yata, pinilit nang ipakasal ng tatay niya. But now we are experiencing an extended adolescence. Ganito raw kasi iyon:

Confirming the suspicions of parents everywhere, a new study proposes that many twentysomethings are in an extended adolescence and may not become full adults until they reach their mid-20s or even later.

The study, released Thursday by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and funded by the MacArthur Foundation, looked at seven common milestones of adulthood--from completing school to financial independence to marriage and children.

When the sociologists asked people at what age those milestones should be reached, they found those expectations have shifted older in recent years.

For example, the average person expects someone to be able to support a family by age 24.5 and to marry by age 25.7--significantly older than the days when it was more common for couples to wed immediately after high school or college.

"Fewer Americans today have achieved these milestones of adulthood than their parents' generation," said study author Tom Smith. "On average, they are about a half-decade behind. They are showing less adult behavior, they are not married, they are dating, they are not raising kids and they are out on the singles scene. It's a new kind of maturity."

Ang rason daw para dito ay ang ekonomiya. Habang tumatagal, we need to prepare more and more for the so-called "real world." We spend more time studying. Dati high skul lang, okay na. Ngayon nag-college ka na, di ka pa rin makakuha ng trabaho. So punta sa grad skul para mag-MA. Pero ganun pa rin. Our society is becoming more and more compartmentalized. You major in more specific fields hanggang sa magkandalito ka na kung ano na nga ba talaga ang gusto mong maging paglaki mo. May mga kilala ako na trenta na hindi pa alam ang gagawin sa buhay. Walang trabaho, ni di matapos ang MA, tambay lang at flirt all around. I don't know if this is bad, dahil it seems like walang direction ang buhay. Pero ang sabi din naman, kaya tayo mas laid back dahil we know what is expected of us, and that we can opt not to fulfill that option. Labo no? Sino ba nakaka-alam ng checklist ng signs of adulthood na yan?