Are You Really An Adult?

Here is an interesting little guide. How do you rate? How do your teenagers rate? As I was telling my teen age daughter last night, our job as parents is to teach them how to rely on themselves. How are we doing? I am sure we all have room for improvement. However, using this as a gauge for our current society I think we are sadly lacking in adults in this country.

Diane Dumas and Robert Epstein reviewed academic literature, interviewed adults, and consulted with professionals before concluding that there are 14 different "competencies" that distinguish adults from non-adults:

Love. Adults know the difference between sex and love and know what it means to experience love.

S*x. Adults know about making babies, about self-control, about being pure.

Leadership. Adults know how to act as leaders of others adults, of children, of pets.

Problem solving. Adults know the difference between right and wrong and are able to solve a wide variety of problems.

Physical abilities. Adults are supposed to be physically self-sufficient.

Verbal and math skills. Adults know "reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic" and can apply what they know to their stewardship of time and money.

Interpersonal skills. Adults know how to converse with, show respect for, forgive, apologize to, get along with, and assist other people.

Handling responsibility. Adults know to accept blame for their wrongdoing and how to honor the commitments they've made.

Managing high-risk behaviors. Adults know how to handle risky items and activities responsibly.

Managing work and money. Adults know how to get and keep jobs.

Education. Adults have obtained a basic education and know its value.

Personal care. Adults practice basic hygiene and good nutrition.

Self management. Adults can mange their own behavior: keeping appointments, accomplishing tasks, and preventing their anger from getting out of control.

Citizenship. Adults know about government and how to be good citizens.

Source: Robert Epstein, The Case Against Adolescence (Sanger, CA: Quill Driver, 2007), pp. 148-157.

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