Adultswhowanttobe kidsshouldjustgrowup!
According to a new poll, half of us are fed up with being adults. Those who took part in the survey find responsibilities such as paying bills, work and cleaning the house a drudge. Trying to save money and even preparing dinner causes them stress.
The poll of 2,000 adults from Malibu and Oatly confirms what I knew all along. Being a child is rather attractive and many people do what they can to remain in that carefree world.
It’s funny how children all long to be older. Ask a seven-year-old their age and they tell you seven and a half. That “half” is important to them and they desperately want to reach eight.
There’s no doubt that knuckling down and facing up to adult responsibilities is hard. That’s why for some people 30 has become the new 13.
More and more I see adults acting like petulant children and abusing those in authority or being unable to remain quiet or sit still on a bus or train. They eat food suitable for children like soft and comfortable beef burgers. You can even buy food in supermarkets all cut up for you.
The way some people dress reinforces the trend. Women still love baby pink and men dress like their kids – voluminous tops (which they can grow in to) with short sleeves and cut-off shorts. Some trainers are now designed to slip on to the feet without doing up the laces. The ultimate is the baggy tracksuit – it looks just like a baby-grow. With their bald heads these men look like toddlers.
Try having conversations with these people. I am lucky to have friends who know how to listen, hoping to understand other people’s feelings and concerns. Those adults who refuse to grow up are in danger of developing into narcissists and hear only themselves. They are emotionally fragile, not helped by the perils of social media.
I was a newspaper editor once and employed many young people and always admired them for their energy and ideas. They weren’t embarrassed about making mistakes and they often made them in the full glare of a busy newsroom. It was all part of learning how to be a reporter. Speaking to employers nowadays, youngsters are worried about answering the phone and offended if you end an email with a full stop.
At the recent General Election, a young woman in her 20s at the polling station desk asked my address so she could check it off on her records. I had to repeat it to her three times as she scoured her lists. It was 10.30am. Was she already tired or suffering from that young person’s malaise – a short attention span?
Kids do have some fabulous childlike tendencies we should all embrace. There’s freedom and creativity in staying curious, having a sense of wonder in the world and living in the present. But please, just grow up!
Women still love baby pink and men dress like their kids. With their bald heads these men look like toddlers