Do you follow MTV's "Catfish" at all? If so, you probably know Nev Schulman, the host of the show, is expecting a baby (and getting married!) with his girlfriend, Laura Perlongo, who he has been dating for the better half of a year now.
Perlongo wrote a story announcing their pregnancy, if you read it, God bless you because it was pretty long. But she made a few points in this story that I felt the need to address.
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First of all, I think it's great that while their pregnancy was unexpected, they are going along with it anyway and making the most of the situation. Genuinely, I couldn't be happier about that for them.
But, in her story, Perlongo, who is 30 years old, talked about how being a Millennial essentially made her ill-prepared for adult situations (such as getting pregnant), and truthfully I disagree.
We’re part of that ‘lazy’, ‘self-absorbed’ urban millennial generation that does not want to grow up in any traditional sense. I work as a freelance advertising creative, I dress like Silent Bob and stack my clothes on the floor. I run around nonstop until my body physically collapses. I’m a real entitled jerk, or so the media tells me and everyone born after 1980 or whatever.
My boyfriend works in TV, dresses earnestly, and hangs all his pants. But he’s as ill-equipped to deal with ‘life situations’ as the rest of us. With the stress of being in the public eye, no move seems like the right move.
I mean like, I get what she's saying, but she is 30. At this point, using your generation as an excuse for not wanting to grow up is kind of sad. While I do know some Millennials that don't want to grow up, I probably know even more Millennials that grew up to be very successful and functional adults, and furthermore, parents.
I am 22 years old, so most Millennials I know are around my age, give or take a few years. Several friends of mine are excellent parents, are in serious relationships or married, live on their own, pay their own bills, funded their own school, have careers and the like. While many of my friends became parents "accidentally on purpose," as Perlongo phrased it, they rose to the challenge and certainly did not use their generation as an excuse for not wanting to grow up.
I know plenty of Millennials that work their asses off for what they want and what they need because doing anything less would be "lazy" and "self-absorbed," and they realize this. They're not dense or out of touch with reality.
I'm tired of people acting like Millennials are incapable of coping with general life. I'm tired of everyone ragging on Millennials for problems Millennials didn't create. What's sad is that I expect this attitude from older generations, but not Millennials themselves.
Fellow Millennials -- I want you to know that you are capable of handling yourselves and your lives. Whether it's finding a job, getting married or becoming a parent. You don't need to wait until you're 30 to grow up, and furthermore, you're not weird for wanting to grow up before then.
Since I was 19, I've wanted to grow up. I've wanted to move out of my parents' house, get married and begin a family. I love the idea of being responsible for my own life and whatever lives I create with my soon-to-be-husband, even if it will be challenging.
I am a Millennial. I am an adult. And I am capable, regardless of what the media or other generations may believe.
