very merry unbirthday

[arethinn]

Three weeks from now (precisely, as a matter of fact; well, three weeks and six hours, if you want to be pedantic) I will be 26 years old. Besides creeping up on the "not being carded" age (the signs are all "if you look under 30...") and no longer having any stretch of the imagination by which I could rightfully say I was in my "early 20s", there is one other major thing which is bothering me about this.

I still live in my parents' house.

Now, this is not because I am some kind of financial failure, or because I lack the skills to take care of myself. I have perfectly good, reasonable reasons for still being in this house. Yet something still feels wrong about it, like 25 is the last possible age at which it could still be reasonable to live with one's parents without it being a situation of caring for them because of age or disability.

I'm about to cross this line and it really, really bugs me. Yet I'm stuck. While my income is theoretically enough to allow me to scrape by, it means I would have to choose between saving a paltry amount per month (like, $300 tops), or ever buying anything fun (like, you know, a coffee now and then, or a new CD or whatever). And kiss goodbye all the visits with enotsola ($400-600 a pop just for airfare, depending on the time of year) and going to gathers and cons. I don't find such a situation acceptable.

But it still sucks.

Comments

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

One of the side-effects of longevity is a correlating lengthening of the phases of life. Recent studies suggest most Americans consider themselves not yet into adulthood until they reach the age of 30 or so. By that metric you're still doing fine.

If it makes you feel any better, my girlfriend works with a pair of 25 year old women who still live at home (one cohabitating in her parents' basement with a boyfriend even!), do so more or less precisely because they are financial failures, and have no plans for moving out soon if at all. So at the very least you get points for being pragmatic instead of a leech.

You'd have cause for concern if you had no plan for altering the situation, but it sounds very much like you do. So I wouldn't stress it.

Ultimately it's just a number anyway.

[arethinn]

You'd have cause for concern if you had no plan for altering the situation, but it sounds very much like you do.

Yeah, I'm waiting for the passport request from CIC so I can go land in Canada... and then go live with someone else's parents for several months (in much less space I might add; ugh) while I find a job and become able to move out. Mrph.

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

and where's the sense of personal accomplishment if it's easy? ;)