I think you misunderstand the point of this article. The point is that teens are capable of much more than people usually give them credit for. 🙂

Further, I would argue that since we are all living to our 80s and 90s now there is absolutely no reason why a young adult cannot live at home during this period of what sociologists now call “transitional adulthood.” In most other countries of the world young adults live with their family until they marry. Again, even in the US it’s not the same world in 2015 as it was even 20-30 years ago for young people just out of college. A college degree doesn’t mean you are 100% set to go it alone and conquer the world anymore, especially if you have mega-student debts.

You say: “You’re twenty-five? Oh, so you probably are still living with your parents rent-free, casually deciding on a career, and wasting the best years of your life finding yourself, right?”

I think wasting the best years of your life would be settling into a 9-5 career at age 22 and regretting that you did not stop to smell the roses and then discovering what you really want to do when you are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s.

This is not to excuse the young people of today. They have an easier and better life than any generation in history. They don’t do enough and we can expect more of them. But these are complex questions; let’s not oversimplify them by relying on 20th century models of career and work and teen role model examples from the 1800s that no young adult could ever hope to understand or relate to.

Awesome! sounds like you’ve got some great ideas!