"I'm now older than they were when they had me. I'm turning 27 and, though I don't want children, it's sometimes difficult not to measure my life against theirs. They got married at 21. When I was 21, I was finishing my bachelor's degree in the middle of a pandemic. At 25, rather than having a child, I was moving in with my girlfriend, and we became cat parents."
"While I do know people around my age who've been able to buy a house, for example, it's definitely not the majority of my friends. Even if I did want kids, I wouldn't have even considered it in my 20s, saving that conversation for my 30s. Also, income hasn't risen to keep pace with rising housing prices. Becoming a homeowner in your 20s is simply not realistic anymore."
A person born in 1999 compares their current situation to parents who were married homeowners at 25. Approaching 27, the person is unmarried, childless by choice, and rents, which fuels feelings of not being a "real" adult. The person completed degrees during a pandemic, moved frequently, and became a cat parent instead of pursuing early homeownership. Rising housing prices and stagnant income make buying a house in the 20s unrealistic for many. The person acknowledges generational differences and measures success in other ways while still sometimes feeling like they are winging adulthood.
Read at Business Insider
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